Wishes and Dreams
by Megaroni
Summary: Not a great title, but its 5th year and the gangs trying to make dreams a reality...
1. The Birthday

  
*Author's Note* This is my first series, and my first(published) HP fanfic. I hope to get tons of chapters done this summer. I'm had the hardest time with a title, because I really don't know where this story is going. Let's just point out that 1) I'm a hopeless romantic 2) I LOVE Fred and George and 3) I'm a Hermione fan. That might explain why those topics get so much attention!! Please review!! Flames, no flames whatever! Just tell me how you like it and give me some suggestions! And away we go....  
  
*Disclaimer* Hold on, let me keep you in suspense a little longer! Here's the famous disclaimer!! Yeahhh! I don't own any of the Harry Potter or Hogwarts characters. The plot belongs to me. Don't sue me!! What could you possibly get out of me? A few CD's?? Don't sue me! OK, now I'll really start the story, honest!  
  
CHAPTER ONE: THE BIRTHDAY  
  
Harry's first month of vacation was a nightmare. The Dursleys were still sticking to Dudley's diet, so Harry went hungry most days. His friends were sure to send food. The Muggle news reported mysterious deaths that Harry assumed were caused by Voldermort. He knew the Dark Lord was gaining power, because Sirius, Ron, and Hermione were sending him news. Whenever Hermione finished Monday's Daily Prophet, she'd send it to Harry. True he'd usually get it on Tuesday or Wednesday, but it was still good. But Harry craved more than just news of the magical world; he wanted to be IN the magical world.  
Near the end of July, Harry received a large package from Hogwarts. Hagrid had sent Harry his birthday present(a package of fudge from Honeydukes and a birthday card) along with Harry's school list. As Harry pulled out his school list, another piece of parchment fell out. Harry looked at the list and found nothing out of the ordinary, except for dress robes, again. Harry wondered what they would need them for. Last year, they had them for the Triwizard Tournament's Yule Ball. Surely there wasn't going to be another Triwizard Tournament after what happened last time. Harry shook his head and told him that it couldn't be the Triwizard Tournament.  
"I've gotta check to see if I need new robes," thought Harry.  
Harry picked up the other piece of paper and read:  
  
Dear Harry,  
How has your summer been? Mine has been lovely thus far: I vacationed briefly in Majorca with my brother Abelford. You might be wondering how I can vacation during a panicky time like this. Well, we all need a time out. We must continue to live our lives normally. If Voldermort knows that he has disturbed our lives, it will only boost his confidence and reassure him of what he is doing. It seems Fudge has finally come to his senses and believes that Voldermort has returned to power. Now that he is taking action, we still have hope.  
Anywho, I send good news! The Weasleys will be picking you up on the 30th of July. You will stay with them for the rest of the holiday. I have taken certain security precautions and I assure you that you will be safe.  
Harry, I have much to talk to you about, but I cannot say it all in a letter. I need to talk to you in person as soon as possible. I would like to meet after the feast, but you and I will both be tired afterwards, so we'll meet at 7 o'clock in the evening on September 2nd. Please come right up to my office. The password is Every Flavor Beans(yes, yes, I know I hate them, but I figure no one can enter my office simply by guessing the password.)  
Enjoy the rest of the holiday!  
Professor Dumbeldore  
  
Harry reread the letter, his heart leaping. A month with the Weasleys! Harry sent an owl to Sirius explaining where he would be. Harry packed all his things and doubled checked that he had his homework was done.   
The Weasleys appeared right on time. Mr. Weasley had used a Portkey(a paper cup) since last year's attempt to use Floo Powder proved disastrous. Since it would be too hard for everyone else come pick up Harry using a Portkey, only Mr. Weasley came. Harry grabbed his trunk and touched the paper cup, all too eager to leave. He felt the jerk behind his naval that told him he had arrived in the glorious refuge of the Burrow.  
All the other Weasleys came and greeted Harry, who had arrived in the garden.   
"Hey Harry, how ya doin?" George said, giving Harry a slap on the back.  
"Hey George. Oh hey there Fred. Hi Ginny. Hey Ron!" Harry said, suddenly spotting his best friend. They greeted each other with high fives.  
"Harry dear!" greeted Mrs. Weasley, coming over to see him. "I'm so happy Professor Dumbeldore let you come. We've been looking forward to this all summer. Once again, you'll be staying in Ron's room. Oh yes, we're going to Diagon Alley next week and we'll meet Hermione there."  
"Oh OK, Mrs. Weasley," replied Harry, a little confused from getting so much information in so little time.  
The rest of the day went on without event. The guys had spent the day outside, talking about how their summers were going and "guy stuff": girls, Quidditch, and a loathing for certain professors(you know who they're talkin' about...). The Weasleys each took turns on Harry's Firebolt: even though it wasn't the newest broom, it was still pretty top of the line, and it was definetly the best broom they had. Fred came up with the idea of timing everyone to see who could go the fastest from the oak tree to the maple tree(about 100ft). To everyone's surprise, Ron won by a large margin.  
"Ron!" George exclaimed, looking at his brother with awe and reverance, "Wow! You can fly!"  
"Well, of course I can, I learned it in 1st year," Ron said, fully knowing that George meant fly fast. Ron just wanted to drag out the praise even longer. Harry took the bait.  
"No, seriously Ron, that was great flying! No one's that fast!"  
"Yeah, and if they were, they'd at least show off their skill by playing on their Quidditch team." Fred said sulkingly.  
"Whaty'd mean?" said Ron indignantly, "There was never an opening for me to play Quidditch. Besides, Lee Jordan would have a tough time commentating with three Weasleys on the field."  
"Hey! There's an opening on the team this year!" Harry said, going over the team roster in his head.  
"Yeah, since Oliver Wood left, the Keeper position is open! You'd be perfect for it Ron!" George pointed out with much entuisiasm.  
"Yeah, I reckon I could try out for it." said Ron calmly, trying to keep a "poker face", but still looking excited at the thought of being on the team.  
Harry went to bed that night peaceful, not thinking of the fact that he'd be 15 tomorrow.  
Apparently the Weasleys hadn't forgotten it was Harry's birthday. Harry was woken the next day by Fred, George, and Ron singing "Happy Birthday" at the top of their lungs. Harry groaned and laughed, throwing his pillows at them. The pillows hit Ron and George, who had to stop singing to try to recover, but they didn't stop Fred, who continued:  
"HAPPPPPPY BIRTHDAY DEARRRRRRRRR HARRRRRRY! HAPPPY BIRTHDAYYYYYY TO YOOOOOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!!!!!!!"  
Fred ended in a very high note and dragged it out so long that he had a sore throat when he was done.  
"Oi, Harry, c'mon down. Mum's made a special 'birthday breakfast.'" Fred croaked out, massaging his throat as George rolled his eyes.  
"Alright, gimme a minute" said Harry, searching for his other sock.  
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Once Harry had his socks on, the three Weasleys and he thundered down the stairs. Once they reached the foot of the stairs, Harry was bombarded by confettit and anothre rendition of "Happy Birthday," this one sung normally, just a little out of tune.  
Harry wiped the confettit off his glasses and looked around the room. Bacon, eggs, and English muffins were on the table, as was a small pile of presents.  
Mr and Mrs Weasley had huge smiles and party hats on. Harry knew the hats were magic: they were shooting sparks from the pointed top. Fred, George, and Ron were strapping on party hats themselves. Ginny was wearing a party hat and sitting near Percy, who looked bored, but was wearing a party hat nonetheless. And sitting next to him was Hermione.  
"Hermione!" Harry shouted, surprised, yet glad to see her. "I thought we were meetin you next weekend!"  
"Well, I wasn't" Hermione said, a sly smile playing across her lips, "But when I heard about this party, I just knew I'd have to crash it!"  
Harry smiled at her. He continued to look at her, even after she turned away. Something was different about her, though Harry couldn't put his finger on it.  
A large banner reading "Happy 15th Birthday!" in glittering letters was hanging on the wall." A chair at the head of the table was decorated in crepe paper that had dancing cakes, balloons, and presents on it. A balloon was tied to the chair: it was very quietly singing "Happy Birthday". It was very much like the rosettes they bought at the Quidditch World Cup last year.   
Harry turned to Mrs. Weasley. "Wow! I mean, well, wow! Mrs. Weasley, you didn't have to do all this!"  
"Oh, don't be silly dear." Mrs Weasley said, smiling, "It was nothing. Plus, I knew you hadn't had a party in years. C'mon dear, let's have some breakfast. Here, you sit in the 'birthday chair'."  
After having a delicious breakfast,everyone's attention shifted to the presents.  
"Go on, Harry, open them!" Ginny said. Harry smiled at the eagerness in her voice.  
"Awright, if you insist..." he replied, sezing a shoe box size package.  
"Oh, the one's from me." Hermione said.  
Harry ripped open the paper and found a box full of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Chocolate Frogs, and Sugar Quills.  
"Now you can never use hunger as an excuse for not doing you assignments!" Hermione said. Everyone laughed.  
"Thanks Herm," Harry said, grabbing a heavier box.  
"That ones from us," George said, pointing at Fred and himself.  
"Uh-oh," said Harry. "Should I take care opening this. Should I expect something to attack me when I open it?"  
"Oh no," said Fred, his voice oozing with sarcasm, "It's perrrfectly safe."  
Harry opened the box with care and found Canary Creams, Ton-Tongue Toffees, Filibuster Fireworks, and Dung Bombs.  
"Dear Harry," Fred began nobaly, "we bequeath to you these pranks so that you and dear Ron can continue the time honored tradidtion of pranking at Hogwarts even after we have left."  
Everyone laughed except Mrs. Weasley. She looked stern, but then allowed herself a smile. Apparently she accepted that Fred and George were pranksters for life and that she couldn't change that. In fact, she was fine with it now as long as she didn't get any lettes from Hogwarts. As awful as it might sound, she didn't care what they did, as long as they weren't caught!  
"Okay, three more," Harry said, picking up a long, narrow package.  
"That's mine!" Ginny said, with very obvious excitement.   
Harry opened it and reveal a leather broomstick case. It was sleek and black, with a gold fastening to close the case. His initials were embroidered in the top left corner. The inside was lined with forest green satin.  
"I made it myself," Ginny said proudly.  
"Wow, Ginny, it's great! Thanks!" Harry replied, and he meant it. Ginny turned a light pink. Harry knew that Ginny had a crush in him and figured that's why she made him a gift. Well, that and the Weasley's money situation didn't allow her to buy a broomstick case.  
"Finally, that thing I'll be outta the house!" George complained. "She's been working on it for ages..."  
"And driving us crazy!! 'Where'd my thread go?' 'Did you guys steal the satin?' Ugh!" groaned Fred.  
"And she finished last week, and we thought it was finally over," Ron said. "But then she decided the outside looke too plain, so she learned how to embroider and put those initials on there."  
"Oh, shut up" Ginny said, blushing deeply, though still looking very proud of herself.  
"Here, Harry," said percy, pushing a small package toward him. "I decided on a practical gift" he said pointedly, looking at the others.  
Harry knew from the words "practical gift" that he wouldn't like Percy's gift nearly as much as he'd like the others. Harry opened it and found a set of quills in various colors and sizes.  
"Oh, gee, er thanks Percy," Harry said, struggling for words to thank Percy without seeming sarcastic or ungrateful. True, Harry needed the quills, but it's not exactly the ideal gift for a fifteen year old. "This'll save me time shopping, now I wouldn't have to get quills."  
Percy seemed happy at Harry's comments, but the others around the table were laughing, though Percy didn't notice. Apparently they shared Harry's feelings about the gift.  
"And this last gift is from me," said Ron, pushing a heavy package towards Harry. Harry ripped off the paper to reveal a hardcover book titled Quidditch: The Ultimate Guide to Strategy.  
"Wow! Cool Ron, thanks!" Harry said, tearing his eyes away from the magnificent book to look at Ron. Harry could tell that the book had cost Ron a lot.  
"Well I figure what with Wood gone, you guys might need some help. Plus, I can look it over and have a good chance at becoming Keeper!" Ron said enthusiasctically. Mr and Mrs Weasley looked confused. George explained "After we saw the great flying Ron has been kepping secret from us" he said, shooting a look at Ron, "we convinced him to try out for the Keeper position on the Gryffindor team." Mr and Mrs Weasley nodded.  
"Wait!" said Fred, mock indignantly, "Are you implying that Oliver was the key to our success?"  
"Yes," said Ron dryly, "If it will shut you up, yes."  
After cleaning up all the wrapping paper everyone got changed for the day. Harry, Ron, and Hermione spent the day getting caught up with each other.  
************************************************************************  
Dinner that night ws out in the garden. Mrs Weasley prepared roast chicken and tons of side dishes. After dinner, Fred and George put on an amazing fireworks display in Harry's honor. The night ended with a final rendition of "Happy Birthday." As everyone went up to bed, Mr Weasley pulled Harry aside. "Harry, could Molly and I see you in the living room,"  
Harry nodded, his throat dry. What was wrong? Had he done something? Was there a Voldermort attack? Harry didn't want anything to ruin his day.  
But nothing was wrong. As Harry sat down on the couch, Mrs Weasley said "Harry, as you might have noticed, we didn't give you a birthday present-"  
"Oh!" Harry said, glad that everything was all right. "Oh, you don't have to! This party was present enough."  
"No, Harry," Mrs Weasley said, "we have a real present for you. We didn't want to give it to you, because it's very personal. We know you don't know a lot about you're parents. Over the past year, we've talked to lots of their friends. We did some geneaology research at the Ministry, and found pictures and stories about your parents." She handed him a beautifully bound book titled "Lily and James."  
Harry took the book gingerly. He ran his fingers over the cover, and leafed through the pages. He could feel tears welling in his eyes. This is about my parents, Harry thought. Finally, I can know about them.  
Mrs Weasley looked Harry in the eyes. "Harry, Arthur and I went to school with your parents. They were wonderful people and meant to each other. I know they are looking down upon you. They are with you every moment of your day. Keep their memory alive Harry."  
Harry nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. He didn't trust himself to speak. He wanted to tell the Weasleys how he felt, but couldn't come up with the words. Instead, he embraced Mrs Weasley in a tight hug and whispered a raspy "thank you." Mrs Weasley understood.   
As Harry made his way up the stairs, he was oblivious to everything: the creaky stairs, the rain outside, Mrs Weasley's sniffles. He was in his own world. All he could think about was the book and his parents. He place it in his trunk next to the photo album of his parents, and went to bed, still in his clothes.  
  
A/N: Well, there it is!! PLEASE tell me what you think!! Review it, suggest thinks, just give me feedback. The whole birthday breakfast thing is from my mom, who really makes you birthday a big thing. I've wanted that book thingy to happen for a long time, and this was the perfect opportunity. I'll post the next chapter soon. R/R, please!!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Guy Stuff and Girl Stuff

*Author's Note* Yeah!! Here's the second chapter! This one's a little longer. PLEASE review. If youre an author, you know how good it is to get a review and know that someone is reading your stuff. My first day published, I got five reviews(all good!!) I meant so much to me to seem my stuff published online and it gave me such a lift knowing you liked my stuff!! If you're not an author, well, just take my word. I don't care if you're review if one word. It can be flames or no flames, just review it. Enjoy the story, and don't forget: I warned you I'm a hopeless romantic!!!  
  
*Dislclaimer*All the HP characters belong to JK Rowling, and sadly, not me!  
  
CHAPTER 2: GUY STUFF & GIRL STUFF  
  
A week later, the six Weasleys (Percy had to go in to work), Harry, and Hermione went to Diagon Alley using Floo Powder(this time without incident). Everyone split into groups: Mrs. Weasley and Ginny went to get Ginny's supplies, Fred and George went to buy supplies(though Harry had a sneaking suspicion that they meant "prank supplies"), Mr. Weasley went to pick up a few things, and Harry, Hermione, and Ron went off on their ritual supply shopping followed by sundaes at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.  
The trio saw other Hogwart's students. Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan were picking up Potions supplies in the Apothecary. Neville Longbottom was picking up his books in Flourish and Blotts. Hermione spotted Lavender Brown and Parvati and Padma Patil in Madam Malkins Robes and began to talk. Fred and George had kept their world to Harry and given Ron money for new dress robes. Ron settled on some navy blue dress robes and Harry bought cadet blue robes.  
When Harry and Ron saw that Hermione would be talking for a while, they told her they were heading over to the ice cream parlor and she should meet up with them later.  
"Since when is Hermione friendly with the 'popular girls?'" Ron asked, looking back at the happily chatting girls.  
"Dunno. I guess she's sick of just guys," said Harry. "I mean, she doesn't understand when we talk about 'guy stuff' and we don't understand when she talks about 'girl stuff.' She needs some girls to talk to sometimes."  
"I guess" said Ron, grabbing a seat at a table. "So, she would order without her, or wait until she comes out? Harry?? Harry??"  
But Harry didn't hear Ron. He had totally zoned out. Cho Chang, Harry's crush since third year walked by. Harry stared at her without meaning to. Cho was talking to one of her friends. She smiled and flipped her hair as she talked. Her hair caught Harry's attention. She must have gotten it done over the summer. Instead of the waist length, straight black hair she usually had, her hair was in tight curls. It only reached her mid-back now. Then Harry's attention went to her smile 'Some how she manages to show all her teeth even when she's not talking' Harry thought. That comment sounded familiar. Harry remembered that he had said almost the same thing about their egotistic former Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Lockhart. Only then it was an insult; now it was a good thing.   
Ron must have seen who Harry was staring at, because he said with a devilish grin: "So Harry, when you say 'guy stuff,' you really mean Cho Chang, right?"  
"Oh, shut up Ron." Harry said, waving his hand to hit Ron, but missing, because he never took his eyes off Cho.  
"Oh come on Harry! Do something other than just stare at her. If you really like her, go for it! I mean, she's only one year older."  
"Look, Ron," Harry said impatiently, "I asked her to the Yule Ball last year, but she was going with Cedric. I felt so stupid after that, and I'm in no hurry to relive that. I bet she's got guys fawning all over her."  
"Well, now you've got a chance at her now that Cedric's out of the way. I mean," Ron added hastily, seeing the pained expression on Harry's face, "sure, it would've been better if they'd just broken up or something, but still. Look Harry, she's walking over here. Ask her to sit with you."  
Indeed, Cho was bidding her friend farewell and walking towards them.   
"But-" Harry began. He always got so flustered around her. He was afraid he'd start blubbering like an idiot again.  
"Harry," Ron said seriously, "You've got to be her friend before you can be her boyfriend. Just treat her like Lavender or some other girl. Just talk to her on a friendly basis. And" Ron added, almost reading Harry's mind, "I'll move to another table. It'd just be awkward if I was sitting here.  
"All right, I'll do it" Harry said, taking a deep breath. Ron slapped him on the back as he moved to a nearby table.   
"Cho!" Harry called, summoning all his courage. 'Remember, you're brave, you're in Gryffindor' he thought. Cho turned around to see who was talking to her. "Er, would you like to site with me?" he asked hopefully.  
Cho's face broke into a smile that light up her face. "Sure!" she said, coming over and sitting across from Harry.  
Harry's heart gave an involuntary jump and he felt his pace quicken. Harry knew he should start a conversation before they settled into an awkward silence.  
"So, how's your holiday been Cho?" he asked, hoping his voice wasn't shaking."Oh, it's been pretty good. I've done some traveling. I visited a Muggle cousin here in London and a wizard cousin in America. You won't believe how different it in on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean!" Cho said.  
"Oh, so you're half-blood then?" Cho nodded. "For some reason, I always thought you were a pure-blood."  
"No. My mom's a witch. She didn't go to Hogwarts thought. She was living in China when she was educated. I think the school was "Gong Fu Academy of Magic." My dad is also Chinese. They were married in China and moved to England later. I have a lot more Muggle relatives though, so I'm used to Muggle culture, both British and Chinese."  
"Gee, I guess you'll never have to take Muggle Studies." Harry said, in an attempt at humor.  
Cho giggled. Her giggle seemed to release some of Harry's tension. 'This isn't going so made' he thought.  
"No, I know lots about Muggles, though I grew up in a distinctly magical house. Mum would do chores with magic and mend all our 'ouchies' as we called them, using magic. She would tell me and my sisters fairy tales, only from the magical point of view. Like, Cinderella's godmother's take on the ball."  
"Oh, so you're not an only child" Harry said, pointing out the obvious. He figured that this, being a basic fact, would come in handy in future conversations. "Is your sister older or younger?"  
"Lin's six years older. We didn't get along very well at home, cause, well, six years is a pretty big age difference. But when we were at Hogwarts at the same time, it was great! We were in the same house, so I always had someone to go to for help with homework. I remember the day of my first potions lessons. Snape was horrible to me!! I ran to her in tears, but she comforted me. Potions has always been my best subject, because I've always tried to prove him wrong."  
"Not to pry," Harry said, his curiosity getting the better of him, "but what exactly did he say?"  
"Oh!" Cho said, laughing at the memory, "He told me that the Sorting Hat had made a mistake putting me into Ravenclaw, because I obviously wasn't smart enough!!"  
"That's horrible!" Harry said, remembering all to well Snape's hatred for him. "I get a good deal of nastiness too. Snape hated my dad when they were in school, so now he takes it out on me!"  
"Oh, that's awful." Cho said. "Anyway, now Lin works for the Accidental Magic Reversal Department in the Ministry. She's fairly high up, considering she's so young."  
"That's great." Harry said "Ya know, she might have been behind a letter I got in my second year. A house elf had used magic in our Muggle house, and I got a letter telling me that the use of any more magic would get me expelled!"  
Cho laughed, "You'd be surprised how often that happens!"  
"Well," Harry continued the discussion about family, "I don't have much family, and the family I do have, I wish I didn't. I know, I know" Harry said, seeing the look on Cho's face, "if they were just Muggles, I'd be fine. But they are so anti-magic! I didn't even know wizards existed until I got my letter! Well, actually, Hagrid had to get me, because they refused to acknowledge I was magic, and they wouldn't give me my letter!"  
"Wow! I don't think I'd like them very much either." Cho said.  
"Anyway" Harry continued, "The Weasleys are like family to me. And Hermione's like a sister" Harry paused here. True, he loved Hermione. But lately he'd be thinking of her in less than sisterly way. Harry shook his head. 'Don't blow your chance with Cho!' he told himself."  
Cho was sitting there, twirling her hair around her finger. This reminded Harry of something. "Cho?" he asked.  
"Yes?"  
"I was wondering what you did to your hair. It looks great, but it's definitely is different than the last time I saw you!" Harry said, trying to show her that he was attentive to details. Plus, we was just curious.  
"Oh! I'd wondered if you noticed!" Cho said. Harry's heart lept. She wondered...That means she had been thinking of him! 'Get a grip, Harry' he told himself. "I got it permed last week. The curls are a little bit much, but by the time we get back to school, it should just be wavy."  
"Oh. Well, it still looks nice." Harry said, hopping he didn't come off sounding stupid.  
"Umm, Harry, this has been great. I'd really like to get to know you better, but I've gotta go. Maybe we could get together some other time..."  
"How bout this first Hogsmeade weekend?" Harry blurted out before he could stop himself.  
Cho smiled. "Sure, that'd be great! I'm sure we'll talk before then. See ya Harry!" and with that she got up.  
"Bye Cho!" Harry called after her retreating figure.  
'Yes! I did it!' Harry thought 'Wait, did I just make a date with Cho Chang?!'  
Ron came back, grinning. Hermione was with him. 'Geez,' Harry thought 'I was so wrapped up in my conversation with Cho, that I totally ignored my friends!'  
"So Harry, how'd it go?" asked Ron the matchmaker.  
"Great! I think" Harry replied "We're gonna get together on the first Hogsmeade weekend!"  
Harry saw Hermione's eyes flash, and wondered if she was jealous. 'Don't be silly! Hermione's not the jealous type.' he scolded himself.  
"Harry, thats great! It's fantastic that you've finally talked to her! This way, you can tell us all about her instead of complaining that she'll never like you!" Hermione said.  
They all laughed. Ron was grinning. Harry felt he should give Ron some credit. "Well, Ron really was the one who convinced me to talk to her. Well, more like bullied me into talking to her."  
"Hey," said Ron, punching Harry playfully on the arm. "I just saw what you didn't!"  
"And what was that?" Harry said, eyebrows raised.  
"That you were completely infatuated by her!" Ron said. Everyone laughed as Ron jumped to avoid the shin-kick Harry was aiming at him.  
"So guys, how about some ice cream?" Hermione asked, eyeing a triple chocolate sundae at another table.  
"Sounds good" Ron said, seizing a menu.  
Over sundaes, Harry recounted for his friends the conversation he had just had with Cho. It was then that Harry remembered that Hermione herself had just gotten out of a long conversation.  
"Hey Hermione," Harry said, putting the spoon back in the dish.  
"Mmm?" Hermione said, or rather grunted. As her both was full of whipped cream, she couldn't say much.  
"What could you possibly have talked about with the populars for so long?"  
"Yeah, I'm rather curious myself." Ron said, taking another scoop of hit Too Fruity Sundae.  
Hermione took on a faint blush. "Well, y'know, girl stuff."  
Harry and Ron looked at each other and burst out laughing.  
"And just what is so funny?" Hermione asked indignantly.  
"One," Ron said, regainig his composure, "you have whipped cream on your nose." At this, Hermione definetly blushed and tried to wipe off the whipped cream. "And two," Ron continued, "Harry and I had justed had a conversation about 'guy stuff and girl stuff.'"  
"So, exactly what aspect of 'girl stuff' did you four ladies chat about?" Harry said.  
"Well," Hermione said, bushing aside the empty dish that once held her ChocoNut Sundae, "They mainly wanted to talk about the fact that I looked different and Viktor."  
"Ya know," Harry said, also pushing aside his ice cream dish(he had ordered the Triple Chocolate Sundae) "I notice something WAS different about you. I know! Did you lose weight?"  
"Actually," Hermione said, "I did. I didn't mean to, it happened quite by accident." Harry and Ron looked puzzled at how you could lose weight by accident.  
"I'll explain," Hermione continued, "Remember how I told you I was going to visit Viktor this summer? Well I did. And it turns out I don't like Bulgaria food nearly as much as I like French food. I didn't eat much the whole week I was there, so I lost a couple of pounds. Oh, and after I got back, I got my hair layered and lightened, so maybe you noticed that."  
Harry and Ron looked at Hermione's hair. It was indeed a golden-brown color instead of just plain brown. And it wasn't as bushy as usual either.  
"So, how it Viktor?" said Ron. That summer, Ron had taken great delight in telling neighbors that he knew Quidditch Star Viktor Krum, and acted as though the two were close friends.  
"He's doing alright. We've decided to keep in touch, though I think between the fame, age difference, and long distance, we'll just be friends. I mean, girls are all ogling him because he's famous. But we'll still keep friends. Oh!" Hermione said, looking at her watch, "Ron, we have to meet your parents!" Harry threw down some money(the ice cream was his treat) and the three hurried back to the Leaky Cauldron. Once everyone was there, they Flooed back to the Burrow.  
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The rest of the holiday was rainy. Whenever they got the chance, Fred, George, Harry, and Ron would head out for some Quidditch practice. Ron was learning to be an excellent Keeper. Whenever they were forced to stay inside because of the rain, Ron was either reading Harry's Quidditch books or beating Harry in wizard chess. Harry was getting better: he had beaten Percy, Hermione, and Ginny, but he was still no match against Ron.  
Since the girls were a minority in the house, they were frequently subjected to "guy talk," which mainly revolved around Quidditch. Ginny and Hermione, however, were able to enjoy the quiet and "girl talk" whenever the guys played Quidditch.  
On August 31, Mrs Weasley perpared a farewell feast. She had chicken, corn, bisuicts, potatoes and pudding for dessert. She seemed especially teary this year, perhaps because it was Fred and George's last year. Harry had mixed feelings as he went up to bed: he was looking forward to returning to Hogwarts, his home, but he knew he'd miss the Burrow. Harry thought about the birthday party Mrs. Weasley had thrown for him and the very special gift she had given him. 'I really didn't even thank her.' Harry thought guiltily. He rummaged in his trunk for the parchment and quills Percy had given him, laughing to himself. 'Geez, itsn't it weird that Percy's dumb gift is the most useful so far!' Ron heard Harry looking for something, "What's up, Harry?" Ron asked sleepily.  
"Nothing much Ron. Don't worry, it's just something I need to do." Harry said, unscrewing the cap on his ink bottle.  
"Alright," Ron said, drifting back to sleep.  
When Harry had finished his note, put it on Mrs. Weasley's pillow. Harry, feeling satisified with himself, went back to sleep.  
When Mrs. Weasley went into her room, ready for a nice sleep after a long day, she saw a note on the pillow. 'Oh great,' she thought grumpily, 'One of the kids forgot to give me something of their list and NOW they want me to get it. Probably Fred and George, they're such procrastinators.' She opened the note and read, in very neat handwriting she didn't recognize:  
  
Dear Mrs. Weasley,  
I want to thank you for all you have done for me, and not just this summer. Without you, I'd never have gotten to Hogwarts! You were there on the Platform on the first day, and you told me how to get on. Because of that, I knew Ron. I was very glad to know someone, and we became friends. So I have you to thank for giving me my best friend.  
Your house is so wonderful! The Burrow is amazing. I, who grew up in the most non-magical house in the world, love to explore all the magical things. You're house is a safe haven, a refuge from Privet Drive. Thank you for always taking me in.  
Thank you for the wonderful party you gave me! I can never remember having a birthday party, so it meant a lot to have a surprise party, at that.  
Most of all, I want to thank you for the book about my parents. You must have gone through lots of trouble to make it. It mean more to me than you will ever know. Though you are like a mother to me, and your family is like my family, you can never replace MY family. It is so good to finally know what my parents were like and where I came from.  
I wrote a letter, simply because I would cry if I spoke these words, and, well I'd be embarassed if I cried. This is to thank you for everything you have ever done for me and let you know that I am eternally grateful.  
Harry  
  
Mrs. Weasley put the note away, in the special drawer of her dresser, the silent tears pouring down her face. 'Oh Harry' she thought, drifting off the sleep, 'thank YOU.'  
************************************************************************The next morning at the Burrow was what is best described as pandemonium! Fred and George, surprisingly, were up early. But, as the others soon found out, that was to do all the packing they had neglected to do. Ron woke up late because he wasn't feeling well. Not only did he throw off the shower schedule, but Mrs. Weasley was running around trying to find medicine for his cold. Harry couldn't find his dress robes. After tearing up Ron's room looking for them, he discovered that he had already packed them. Even Hermione was in a dizzy. Her problem wsa the worst: she couldn't find her wand. What good woudl it be not to have your wand in a school of magic!? After trying out many fake wands, Hermione found her 10 inch maple and dragon heartsring wand(good for Transfiguration) in the kitchen sink, of all places. The only one who seemed to be completely ready was Ginny. She slept late, because she knew everything was all packed. She was bright eyed and bushy taled, a real minority in the Burrow that day.  
After a hurried breakfast, everyone took their stuff outside. Mr. Weasley had been able to get a Ministry car. Since there was only one car, all six kids squeezed in and Mr. and Mrs.Weasley would Apparate to King's Cross. Much to everyone's relife, they arrived on time. Fred and George walked through the barrier to platform 9 3/4 togther, followed by Ginny and Hermione, who casually leaned through the barrier, followed by Ron and Harry, who took the barrier at a run.  
  
*A/N* Sooo, whaty'd think?? A little cliffhanger, but nothing drastic. Now, bear with me, because I'm starting to get writer's block here, but I'll work hard. I thought Harry and Cho should be togther. See, that's two wishes and dreams for Harry! First he got a birthday party, now his friends with the girl of his dreams! But there's trouble in paradise, because, as Harry noted, he'd been having conflicting feelings for Hermione!! Please review, flames, no flames, suggestions, whatever! Pass word on about this story! Thanx! -Megaroni   
  
  
  



	3. Conflicts and Conversations

*A/N* Tada! I think I'm making great time with these. Dont get used to it though, because writers block is taking over. I thank you for all the reviews. It's great that you want me to write more, even though there's no plot! Serouisly. The other books are like, HP and the Sorcerer's Stone. Well, that book was about the Sorcerer's Stone. If I wrote one, it would be Harry Potter and his first Fairly Normal Year(or as Normal as Harry Potter's Year can get!). I apologize for all the spelling mistakes. I have the stories in a notebook and I type them when I get a chance. Usually I'm typing at night or in the morning. Not quite being awake, I keep hitting the wrong keys! ! I just wanna thank you for the reviews! They keep me going despite my writer's block! I had a really had a tough time figuring out a title for this chapter. I'm introducing a new character this chapter, more about them at the end! Please keep giving me feedback. Oh, sorry about the long author's notes, but I like writing long ones!! Enjoy!  
  
*Disclaimer* I've said it before, I'll say it again: the Harry Potter characters are not mine, because, frankly, I am not JK Rowling. Abby, however, is mine, so keep your grubby little mits off her! :)  
  
CHAPTER THREE: CONFLICTS AND CONVERSATIONS  
  
Ron and Harry fell through the barrier and found themselves on Platform 9 3/4. The scarlet Hogwarts Express was in front of him. Countless other witches and wizards were milling around. Harry and Ron moved their trolleys out of the way. They knew that other people still had to come through the barrier(like Mr. and Mrs. Weasley!). Hermione was hanging out the window of the last compartment, "Harry! Ron!" she called, waving to them like mad. "C'mon, this one's empty!" Harry and Ron pulled their their trolleys down towards the compartment.  
"You know," Harry said, pushing his trunk on to the luggage rack. "I think I've had this compartment every year. Well, every year that I've taken the train." Harry grinned at Ron, remembering their second year, when they came to Hogwarts in Mr. Weasley's flying car.  
"Yeah, I reckon you're right." Ron said, hopping down to the platform. "Come on, Mum'll want to say goodbye.  
"Well, I haven't always ridden in that compartment." Hermione said as they walked towards the Weasleys. "That first year, only you two were in that compartment. And the other prefects didn't want me to sit in there this year. They felt I should sit in the private compartment up front."  
"Wait, you never said you were made a prefect!" Ron said.  
"Well, you two never seem to appreciate it when I obey the rules. I didn't think you'd appreciate me being given a job to force other people to obey the rules!"  
"Hermione! We're happy for you." Ron said. "Though I don't know why I'm surprised. You are the best behaved person in our house."  
Hermione beamed. "Yeah, Herm, we're happy for you. Hey, d'ya think you could give us the password to the prefect's bathroom? That place is NICE!" Harry said. Harry had used the prefects' beautiful bathroom last year while trying to figure out a Triwizard Tournament clue.  
The three had now reached Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. Mrs. Weasley was giving Fred and George a goodbye lecture.   
"-and I don't want any letters from Dumbeldore this year! PLEASE behave! It's your last year...why don't you leave on a good note?" Harry laughed. Fred and George considered a "good note" something to be remembered by, such as bombing Snape's office with Dungbomb's.  
Fred and George exchanged looks. Being twins, they had that trait where they don't even have to speak to discuss something. They seemed to agree on what it was they were discussing. "Alright Mum," said Fred, giving his mother a peck on the cheek. "We'll TRY not to get into too much trouble, but we're not making promises." Harry noticed that Fred said the word 'too' under his breath. Mrs. Weasley hadn't seemed to notice.  
"But-" she began, but George interrupted her. "Now Mum, how can we stay out of trouble if trouble finds us? Which, it usually does." Everyone laughed as George kissed his mother on her other cheek. Fred and George hugged their dad, then walked off to find Lee Jordan.   
Mrs. Weasley was now talking to Ginny and telling her that if she felt homesick, she should just write home.   
"Mum, I'm used to being away from home. I'm not a baby." Ginny said, but on seeing the hurt look on her mother's face, she hastily added "But I'll send you lots of owls just to keep in touch." She gave her mother a hug and a kiss and did the same for her father.  
"Now, you three," Mr. Weasley said as Ginny skipped away to find her friends Colin Creevey and Carolyn O'Connor. "you need to be careful! I don't mean to scare you, but you're all in danger. Harry, don't travel alone. Use the buddy system. I know Dumbeldore's taking security precautions, but you can't be too careful, especailly when you're dealing with You-Know-Who. If anything weird happens, Harry, if you ever have any dreams, tell Dumbledore, owl me," here he lowered his voice, "and owl Sirius."  
Harry was dumbfounded. "How did you kno-?"  
"Dumbeldore explained everything." Mr, Weasley told him. "Most important, don't go looking for trouble. You're not going to stop You-Know-Who on your own, so don't try. Lord knows enough trouble finds you guys on its own." With that, he gave them each a hug goodbye.   
"And I don't mean to nag," Mrs. Weasley said, "but do study hard for the OWL's. They are very important. I know you can all do well." Mrs. Weasley said goodbye with a hug and a kiss for each of them. Harry wasn't sure if he imagined it, but she seemed to hug he harder and longer than anyone else.  
************************************************************************  
As the train sped through the countryside, the trio wsa silent. They had already spent nearly a month together: what was their left to talk about?   
Harry filled the void by absentmindeldy gazing at Hermione. 'Look at the way the sun shines off her hair.' he thought 'It's so beautiful! It looks so soft; if only I could run my fingers through it...' Hermione must have felt eyes looking at her. She turned and saw Harry staring at her hair. "What?" she asked, running her fingers through her hair. "Is there something in my hair?"  
Harry felt himself blush. "No, no, it's nothing, it's just" he stopped, searching for an excuse, "there's a better view out your window."  
"Oh," said Hermione, turning around and not believing Harry's excuse for a minute.  
'I actually thought he was looking at me.' Hermione said. 'How stupid. I've got to get a grip! He's just my friend.' Though, Hermione had noticed Harry acting strangely around her. It was almost as if he liked her. But Hermione figured that was just wishful thinking taking over. They were like brother and sister! 'Besides,' a nasty voice in the back of Hermione's head said, 'he likes Cho!' Hermione sighed. It's not that she had anything against Cho. It's just that Cho was so, well, perfect! She was pretty, smart, funny, responsible, and athletic. Since she played Quidditch, she always had something to talk to Harry about. In fact, she was also Seeker, so they had tons in common. Hermione would have been jealous of Cho is she hadn't been so...likable!   
Still, Hermione felt a pang of envy when she thought about how longingly Harry looked at Cho. Hermione had liked Harry since forever! Once she found of about the magical world, she had read all the books she could about Harry. She had pictures of him up in her room. When Harry had hated Hermione in their first year, she was devastated. That Halloween, when Ron had said that Hermione was a nightmare, it was the final straw. Hermione had assumed that since Harry didn't say anything in reply, he agreed with Ron. Hermione had run off crying into the bathroom. She knew Ron still felt guilty:he thought he had provoked her into hiding. But Hermione never had the courage to tell him that it was because of Harry. But honestly, what girl wouldn't like Harry? He had saved the world from the most evil and powerful wizard ever. Plus, he was terribly good looking, what with the brilliant green eyes, untidy black hair, and killer smile. What girl could resist him? Certainly not Hermione.  
Sure, Ron was cute too, but Hermione just didn't feel that way about him. Hermione felt guilty about that: Ron never received as much recognition as Harry. But Ron was just too volatile for Hermione. He was mad at her one minute, her best friend the next. She could never figure him out. Plus, he was rather protective of her. He was the older brother she never had. Harry never fought with Hermione. Sure, he'd call her a know-it-all and had made fun of her, but they'd all made fun of each other. Once in their third year, Harry had given Hermione the silent treatment. This was because her and Ron weren't speaking to one another and Harry had simply gone along with Ron. At first, it had hurt Hermione because they weren't speaking to each other, but she was too busy to think much of it.  
Hermione thought back to the Yule Ball. 'I should have asked Harry!' Hermione thought. But she didn't think he liked her(in fact, she still didn't) and she was afraid of ruining their friendship. When Viktor Krum had asked her, it was perfect! She liked him and he liked her. But Hermione wouldn't have turned anyone down that asked her, unless they were someone horrible like Malfoy. Hermione remembered how nervous Viktor was when he asked her. He was sweating and wringing his hands. Hermione said yes in an instant. She knew how hard it was to ask someone else. Plus, though she hated to admit it, Hermione could show off Viktor. She could prove that she wasn't just a know it all. Here she was on the arm of the famous Quidditch player!  
Thinking of Quidditch made Hermione think of Harry and Cho. Her mind drifted back to early August and that day in Diagon Alley. She'd come out of Madam Malkin's Robes. She was about to call out to Harry, but stopped herself when she saw he was talking to Cho. 'Oh good! He's finally talking to her!' Hermione thought. Although Harry had never told Ron or Hermione how he felt about Cho, it was obvious. But soon, Hermione's initial joy turned to jealousy 'Look how close they're sitting!' Hermione commanded herself not to be jealous, to be happy for Harry. 'Besides, you have a boyfriend' she had told herself. But she had laughed at this. True, Viktor was techically her boyfriend, but he was more of just a guy friend now. They had decided not to just see each other. Hermione also had a feeling that the long-distance thing wouldn't work out.  
"Hey Harry," Ron said, interrupting Hermione's thoughts and (judging by the fact that he had jumped out of his seat) Harry's thoughts too. Hermione giggled and wondered what Harry could have been thinking about so hard.  
"Yeah Ron?" Harry replied, turning his attention to Ron.  
"Have you heard from Sirius lately?" Ron asked, a not of concern in his voice.  
"No, actually I haven't. Not to sound greedy, but he never sent me a birthday present. I wonder if he's alright."  
"Oh, I'm sure he's fine!" Hermione said. "Remember, Dumbeldore sent him on a mission at the end of last year? Plus, the Daily Prophet would have reported any sitings."  
'Hermione, always the voice of reason' Ron thought. He'd always admired the fact that she could keep her wits about her even in the most extreme cases. Althought Ron loved Hermione, he loved her like a sister, not as a girlfriend. Not that there was anything wrong with her, they were just to much like family. Ron had liked Fluer Delacour, but after realizing he didn't have a chance with her, he had given up.  
But Ron did like someone. Abby Morris was a Ravenclaw fifth year with blond hair down to her shoulders. Ron thought he could spend hours looking into her dark blue eyes. Ron didn't have any classes with her and he didn't see her very often, but whenever he did see her, she had a smile on her face. Abby was very cheerful and usually the life of the party. You would probably picture her with Fred or George, since they were so similar. Ron had managed to find out some things about her. She was the middle child of three children, the only girl. Her older brother Mark had graduated in Percy's class(he had been in Gryffindor, and Ron's prime source of information about her), but her younger brother Joseph wasn't due in Hogwarts until next year. She was also a Quidditch fan: Abby served as the Ravenclaw reserve and was also a Chudley Cannon's fan(Ron's favorite team). Ron had gone to a Cannon's game in July on Ministry tickets and had sat next to her. Both of her parents were in the Ministry: her mom was in the Department of Magical Games and Sports, while her dad was in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Miracouslously, the Cannons had won that game. Silly as it was, Ron felt that is was a sign.  
"Anything from the cart dears?" Harry, Hermione, and Ron jumped at the sound of someone else's voice. The witch who pushed the food cart had come in without them realizing it. They had all been lost in thoughts of their love lives and had been oblivous to everything else.  
Harry ran to the cart. He didn't realize how hungry he was. The food cart usually came about halfway through the trip, so it had been a while since they'd eaten. Harry bought a couple Cauldron Cakes and a bag of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. Every Flavor Beans were good for excitement, and this trip needed to be perked up. Everyone seemed to be in their own world.  
"Hey guys," Harry said, getting Ron and Hermione's attention, "You want some Every Flavor Beans?"  
"Sure," Ron said, breaking into a grin. On their first train ride to Hogwarts, Harry and Ron had bonded over Beans. Hermione also agreed to the Beans, though she was less enthusiastic about putting mystery flavored food into her mouth.  
Harry, Ron and Hermione spent the next ten minutes eating(and ocassionally spitting out) Beans. They decided that the worst flavors were Horseradish, Sardine, and Booger. They couldn't figure out the best flavor though: Hermione loved Orange Sherbert, Ron liked Popcorn, and Harry was rather partial to Root Beer.  
"I've never had a Sardine one before." Ron said, popping a white bean into his mouth. He began to chew it, then spit it out. The bean hit Dean, who had just entered the compartment along with with Neville and Seamus, square in the forehead.  
"Sorry about that Dean!" Ron said, laughing along with the others, "and guys, I take that back. Now I HAVE had a sardine flavored bean!"  
"Yeah, it smells like it!" said Dean, picking it off his forehead. "It's okay Ron, just watch your back at the feast tonight!"  
"So Harry," Seamus said, having a seat "What's your take on our Quidditch teams this year?" Hermione and Dean rolled their eyes. Seamus, Ron and Harry could talk about Quiddicth for hours on end. Sure, Hermione and Dean liked Quidditch, but Hermione would rather see it than talk about it and Dean was a West Ham soccer fan. Neville didn't mind the conversation, though he listened rather than spoke.  
"Well," Harry said. "Everyone's lost some players and we're out of shape since we didn't have the league last year. I think everyone lost their Captain. Gryffindor still has a chance though!" he said with enthuisaism. "We're not in trouble till next year: we'll lost Fred, George, Katie, Alicia, and Angelina! We'll have to train a new Keeper this year, appoint a new Captain, and get a reserve. God knows we get in enough accidents. By the way, are any of you trying out for Keeper?"  
"Well, I am, but you already know that." Ron said.  
"I am too" said Seamus with an eager glint in his eyes.  
"Not me," said Neville sadly, speaking for the first time. "I'm a klutz on a broom."  
"And everywhere else, Longbottom." said a cold, drawling voice. Everyone turned to see Draco Malfoy, flanked by his "bodyguards" Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. All three looked extremly smug and were walking around like they owned the place.  
"Hello Malfoy. What have we done to be graced by your presence?" Harry said, his voice oozing with sarcasm.  
Malfoy opened his mouth to reply, but was cut-off by Ron. "Yes, please tell us. We'll make sure to never do it again!"  
The Gryffindors laughed while the Slytherins scowled. Crabbe and Goyle each took a threatening step forward.  
"You two are so witty! Though I must admit, I'd never expect something so clever from you two!" Malfoy replied, his face in a cold grin.  
Harry and Ron stood up. They would take any excuse they had to give Malfoy a good beating. Harry knew Seamus and Dean would be only too glad to join in. Even Neville would join in, though he'd get pretty beaten. He'd done it before, in their first year at a Quidditch match. Hermione put her hand on Ron and Harry's arms trying to restrain them. But Harry knew Hermione wanted a piece of Malfoy as much as they did. She'd had enough of him and it was just the first day back. As a prefect, she had to set an example, so she wouldn't fight, but she knew she'd never stop the fight. The five boys could easily take on Crabbe and Goyle, despite their size.  
"So I heard you freaks talkng about Quidditch," Malfoy said, eating some of Harry's Every Flavor Beans and motioning for Crabbe and Goyle to do the same. "And you have a point Potter. Gryffindor did lose their Captain. And so did Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. Though," Malfoy added with an evil smile, "Hufflepuff didn't lose their Captain because of graduation."  
This statement had the effect of lighting a fire under anyone. Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff Captian, had been killed by Lord Voldermort. No one in their compartment had been close to Diggory, but that was no reason to make cracks about him. Harry stll felt very guilty for Cedric's death and it pained him to think about it. Malfoy seemed thouroughly pleased that Cedric had been killed by the Dark Lord, thought it wasn't surprsing, as Malfoy's, Crabbe's, and Goyle's families had a history of Dark Arts. Everyone was breathing deeply now out of anger. Harry knew that Malfoy wouldn't go away on his own. They were just making Malfoy happy by getting angry. Harry knew they'd have to do someting to drive him away.   
"Look Malfoy, just get out, alright!" Ron said angrily. His fists wer clenched and he looked ready to fight.  
"Actually, we're quite comfy here." Malfoy said, eating more beans. He didn't seem too care how gross they were, he just wanted to eat their food. He reminded Harry very much of Dudley right now. "You've got lots to eat here." Harry and Ron remembered a similar situation in first year. Though Scabbers the rat had been there to fight for them. "Though I'm not sure I wanna eat anything that Mudblood touched." Malfoy said with a glance at Hermione.  
That was the final straw. Tension had been building since Malfoy had arrived in their compartment. Now everyone was seething with rage. Even Hermione, the usually calm and rational one, was red in the face. Neville even had his wand out. Harry didn't want to have to resort to magic, because who knows what would happen with Neville. As Harry watched Malfoy eat some of the last Beans, he had an idea. It would chase Malfoy away and teach him to leave their stuff alone. Harry searched in his pockets and found what he was looking for: two Canary Cream and a Ton-Tongue Toffee. He nonchalantly put the candy down with the Beans, then turned back to the conversation, or rather mud-slinging.  
"Malfoy," Harry said calmly, though with annoyance in his voice, "we've had enough of your crud. Why don't you and your little henchmen just go and hang out with your fellow losers, er, I mean, Slytherins."  
"Ouch, Potter, that hurt. What, couldn't come up with something better?" Malfoy said, unwrapping the Ton-Tongue Toffee and popping it in his mouth while Crabbe and Goyle did the same with the Canary Creams. While Malfoy had a point that Harry's insult wasn't very good, Harry didn't care. He was waiting.  
"Anyway, like I was saying-" Malfoy began, but stopped abruptly as he was now choking on a three foot long tongue. The Gryffindors burst out lauhing and only luaghed harder when Crabbe and Goyle turned into two very confused looking canaries.  
"Thill thet you, Thotter!" Malfoy managed to choke out, spit flying everywhere, before stalking out with his fowl friends.  
The Gryffindors kept laughing even after their unwanted guests had left.  
"Harry, that was brillian!" Ron said, wiping his eyes.  
"Yeah, I've really gotta thank Fred and George for these!" Harry said, smiling. The other five knew what he was talking about: they'd all had too much experience with Fred and George's practical jokes.  
"Anyway, back to Quiddicth!" Seamus said.  
"Seamus, you've got a one track mind!" Hermione said, exasperated.  
"Why, thank you!" he replied, making Hermione laugh.  
"Like I said," Harry said, picking up the conversation, "and like Malfoy said, Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw all lost their captains. But Malfoy forgot that Flint grauated too!" the other laughed at Malfoy's stupidity. "So all four teams need a new Captain. The first few practices will be weird for everyone. They have to learn new strategies. But since everyone except the new Gryffindor Keeper will have played together in the past, we should still work well regardless of the Captain."  
Everyone paused to let what Harry said sink in. Harry, Ron, Seamus, and Neville continued a conversation about Quidditch, whil Hermione and Dean left the conversation. They talked about Muggle England. It was a relief for Hermione to be able to talk about Muggle things with someone who understood. 'And Dean's not bad looking either...' Hermione thought, then laughing at herself, scolded 'C'mon Hermione you player, focus on Harry. Though if Harry's serious about Cho, I guess I should stop obsessing about him and move on.'   
About half and hour later, Neville, Seamus, and Dean left. Figuring that they were getting close to the station, Hermione went to the bathroom to change her robes in private. She really wanted to touch up her "look." She put on a red lipgloss and peach eyeshadow, and a thing coat of brown mascara. She was new to make-up, so it wasn't easy to put on mascara, especialy on a train! She didn't want anything too drastic, just some make up to bring out her features. She finished by sweeping her hair into a bun(she didn't want it hanging loose: it got in her face, plus the castle was lit by candles.) When she walked back into the compartment, Harry and Ron noticed something was different, though it took them a while to figure out what.  
"Wait, your hair was down before, wasn't it?" Ron said.  
"And, wait, Hermione, are you wearing, make-up?" Harry said, disbelief in his voice.  
"Well, you're both right." Hermione said, putting on her prefect's badge. "And what's so hard to believe about me wearing make-up?"  
"Well, it's just that, you never wore it before." Harry said. He seemed to realize how dumb that sounded. "But then, again, I guess you did mature over the summer."  
Hermione smiled to herself as the train pulled into Hogsmeade station. Harry, Ron, and Hermione got into one of the horseless carriages along with a blonde girl Hermione recognized as Abby Morris. They had Ancient Runes together. Ron looked extremly please to see her and the two started a conversation about the Chudley Cannons. Harry and Hermioen both felt uncomfortable. It certainly looked like Ron liked her. They started a conversation about the weather.  
"It really is a beautiful night." Harry said.  
"Yeah. Look! There's Sirius, the dog constellation! Isn't that weird Harry?" Hermione said with a smile as they leaned out the carriage window into the cool, crisp air to see the stars.  
"Oh! That's the first star we've seen! Make a wish!" Harry said.   
Hermione closed her eyes and wished 'I hope this momnt with Harry never ends.'  
Harry closed his eyes and wished 'I hope we get to the castle soon! I can't wait for the feast!'  
The carriage pulled up to the castle. Everyone poured out and hurried into the Great Hall. Hermione lingered to looks at the stars. "C'mon Hermione!" Harry said. "You can look at the stars from inside!" With that, he pulled her into the Entrance Hall. It looks like Harry's wish had come true instead of Hermione's.   
  
*A/N* OK, so that last part wsa kinda sappy, but I told you I'm a hopeless romantic! About Abby: that's me! No, my name isn't Abby(my cousin's is though...) but I have the same family placement and I'm blonde!! Anyway, I didn't want to bring in an exchange student, cause that gets weird and kinda boring(everyone does it! No offense if you do!) I figured I'd through in a character that MIGHT really exist, just she was never mentioned. Also, people are probably saying "ConversationS? ConflictS?" Yes! I went into people's thoughts and showed you the conflicts & conversations there, as well as in the real world! Hence the title! Anyway, please review! I'll try to post again soon! And tell everyone about my story, please???  
  



	4. Introductions

*Author's Note* Sorry that I'm falling back on posting!! I'll try to keep up! You guys have been great for reviewing, so keep it up! There's actually something important in this chapter! But more about that in the author's note at the end. Oh, and let me explain. My computer is super weird. I can't post anything in bold or italic, so I put the things I want to emphasis in CAPS. OK, enjoy!!  
  
*Disclaimer* All the HP characters belong to JK Rowling. You know the drill...  
  
CHAPTER 4: INTRODUCTIONS  
  
Hermione, Ron, Harry, and Abby walked into the Entrance Hall. It seemed to be particularly busy that night. Maybe because Peeves the Poltergeist was in their, throwing whatever he could at anyone he could. He seemed to be in a VERY bad mood. The four ran low into the Great Hall, and just in time. Hermione had narrowly avoided being hit with a History of Magic textbook from who knows where. Once they got into the Great Hall and got over the initial shock of being attacked by school supplies, Abby said goodbye and walked over to her Ravenclaw friends.  
"So, Ron," Harry said innocently, though not hiding his smile, "you never introduced us to your 'friend'" Now it was Harry's turn to tease Ron about a girl.  
"Oh, where WERE my manners?" Ron said, blushing, "Well, that girl was Abby Morris. She's a Ravenclaw fifth year. Ask Hermione, they have Ancient Runes together."  
Harry turned to ask Hermione about Abby, but she was lost in her own world, stargazing at the Enchanted Ceiling.  
"Morris, Morris. You know, that name sounds familiar." Harry said, searching his thoughts.  
"That's because she had an older brother in Gryffindor. Mark graduated with Percy. And she has a younger brother who should be coming next year." Ron said, taking a seat at the Gryffindor table. Harry and Hermione followed suit. The three then got wrapped up in greeting old friends and glaring at old enemies.  
Soon, a hush fell over the fall. Professor McGonagall led a group of nervous first years into the Great Hall and lined them up on a platform along the Head Table. She placed a four-legged stool in front of them and put the Sorting Hat on top of it. The ragged, patched Sorting Hat burst into song. It was telling the first years about all the different houses. At the end of the song, the Great Hall burst into applause. Harry saw that some first years were relieved, while others were worried. Harry remembered his experience with the Sorting Hat, and, judging by the glazed look on Ron and Hermione's faces, they too were remembering their sorting. The three had never really talked about their experience, which was good for Harry: he didn't want to admit he was almost put in Slytherin.  
Professor McGonagall was talking to the first years. Ron couldn't make out what he was saying, but he knew she must be giving them the instructions for being sorted. She unrolled her parchment and called off the first name: "Abed, David." A tall, brown haired and extremely nervous boy sat down, and pulled on the hat. Ron understood why he was so nervous: he wouldn't have fancied going first either. The Hat took a moment's pause and then called out "HUFFLEPUFF!" The table on the far left cheered for their first new member.  
And so the sorting continued. There seemed to be an awful lot of Ravenclaws, and quite a few Hufflepuffs, but maybe that was just Hermione's imagination. It took them until "Carlin, Patricia" to get a new Gryffindor. When they did, the table went wild, trying to impress and welcome the new girl. Patricia sat down not too far from Hermione. Hermione felt that it was her duty as a prefect to greet the new girl, so she waved and smiled at the blushing girl.  
The Slytherins had to wait until "Donell, Matthew" for a new member. The table cheered, but Matthew looked quite embarrassed. He sat down next to Goyle, but looked like he really didn't want to be there. Hermione wondered which house the boy had REALLY wanted to be in.   
The rest of the Sorting was uneventful, except for a new Gryffindor, "Parkinson, Rose." Hermione gasped when this girl joined their table. Pansy Parkinson was shooting her daggers from across the room and the girl looked close to tears. Rose was undoubtedly related to Pansy. 'How strange that one family member is in Gryffindor and the other is in Slytherin of all houses!' Hermione thought. She hoped that Rose would be nicer than Pansy.  
By the end of the Sorting, the Gryffindor table was crowded and hungry. They had acquired twelve new house members, oddly enough spilt evenly between boys and girls: Patricia Carlin, Nadia Edward, Jennifer Fulton, Mary-Anne Masiac, Rose Parkinson, Julia Yefter, Roger Danden, Peter Gallagher, Kevin Nolton, Michael Sethen, and Dillan Quint. Hermione had made an effort to wave to each of them and made a mental note to introduce herself later. As much as she usually enjoyed Dumbeldore's pre-meal speech, she was HUNGRY!!  
Dumbeldore stood up and smiled "Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry! Now I see that some of you are staring hungrily at your plates already, so let's leave the introductions until after the meal, shall we?" With that, he sat down and the food appeared on the table.  
Everyone in the Hall helped themselves to the delicious feast. Harry finally had a chance to point out something. "Check out our new Defense teacher." he said, nodding towards the Head Table. Their was only one unknown person at the table, so they all assumed she was the new professor. They had never had a female Defense teacher. She had long chestnut brown hair. Hermione saw that it went past her shoulders, but she couldn't see how long it was. The teacher had sparkling blue eyes and rosy cheeks. She must have seen Harry, Ron, and Hermione looking at her, because she turned and waved to them.  
All three went back to their plates, embarrassed at being caught. "Well, she looks nice." Hermione said. Ron nodded, but Hermione figured he was thinking more along the lines of attractive nice, as opposed to fair, intelligent, friendly nice that Hermione was thinking.   
"Hey! C'mon guys," Hermione said to the very quiet first years. "You can talk. Don't be afraid, we won't bite!"  
It didn't exactly have the desired effect. The first years became embarrassed at being talked to.   
"So Rose," Hermione said, taking another stab at conversation. "Are you related to Pansy?" Rose nodded glumly.  
"Oh, how?" Hermione said, curiously. Rose seemed very sad. Her gray eyes seemed to be dropping and her pale complexion seemed scared-pale, instead of her normal porcelain-doll pale.  
"Pansy's my older sister." Rose said quietly.  
"Oh that's nice." Hermione said, trying to cheer up Rose. "I'm an only child, but I have tons of cousins." Rose just nodded and turned back to her meal. Hermione shrugged in defeat and joined Lavender and Parvati in a discussion about the new teacher. Ron and Harry were talking to Fred, George, and Lee about Quidditch(what else?).  
When everyone had finished dessert(which included an excellent chocolate raspberry cheesecake) and the plates had been cleared away, Professor Dumbeldore stood up. His beard and hair shone brilliantly in the candlelight and (as Harry happily noticed) his eyes had that familiar twinkle in them.  
"So! We begin another year! It makes my old heart swell with joy to see so many eager faces. Well, the eager faces of first years. Now some of the other students..." Dumbeldore shrugged and paused to allow laughter at his joke. "Now, onto business. I have a few start of term announcements. No magic should be practiced in corridors. And, as Mr. Filch, our caretaker, pointed out, that includes magical pranks and jokes." he said, with a glance at the Weasley twins. "The Forbidden Forest is, indeed, forbidden, hence the name. As I'm sure you all know, the village of Hogsmeade if off limits to first and second years. Also, I should add that restrictions have been place on the Hogsmeade trips..." Dumbeldore was interrupted by a chorus of groans. "Oh yes, right on cue." he said amusedly. "Anyway, they are simply restrictions to protect you against the threat of Lord Voldermort." Several people flinched and one person called out "Don't say his name!" Professor Dumbeldore looked down his long, crooked nose at the member of the Hufflepuff table, then looked back to the Hall. "For over twenty years, I have been persuading people to say his name. By not saying his name, you are only encouraging Voldermort. You are showing him that you are afraid, and that he has achieved his goal. DON'T give him that satisfaction. While you are in my school, you shall have to hear his name. I would encourage all of you to say Voldermort instead of 'You-Know-How' or He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named,' but I know my efforts while be futile. Still, you must learn to deal with it." Dumbeldore paused to let his speech sink in, then continued in a lighter tone. "Anyway, we will discuss the precautions around Halloween, when we have our first Hogsmeade weekend" Ron and Hermione heard Harry groan. They knew he didn't want to wait until October to go out with Cho. "Also, I should tell you that a new curfew has been imposed. All students must be inside the castle by 10, and inside their Common Rooms by 10:30." He was once again interrupted by groans and grumbling.  
"Honestly!! I have never had a more interrupted speech! This will take all night if you don't settle down. Thought, on the plus side, I know you are awake." Dumbeldore said in an amused voice. "Also, I have the pleasure of announcing a new club! The Alternative Magic Club will be run by Professor Flitwick, so I shall give the floor to him." As Dumbeldore sat down, tiny Professor Flitwick stood on his chair and addressed the student body.  
"Wand magic, though the easiest and most common form of magic, is not the only form. When danger strikes, wand magic is sometimes impractical. Suppose someone attacks you by surprise when you don't have your wand? Alternative magic comes in handy here. The most practical form of magic is, by far, wandless magic. However, since it is very draining and difficult, we will only be teaching it to a few select students. They must undergo an examination and a registration exam. Wandless courses will be open only to students fourth year and above who meet the requirements. All other courses will be open to the entire student body. We will be holding classes on Magic in Music, Art, and Food. Each class is separate, and will be taught by a different Professor. Now, I see some of you rolling your eyes. You're probably thinking 'Why would I give up my time to basically take another class. Well, we've thought of this! Each class will earn extra credit for a class that ties in with the topic. If you would like to apply for the wandless magic class, please arrange a meeting with the Headmaster. A notice will soon be posted explaining what each club entails, who teaches it, and other details, including how to sign up. I would also like to point out that each of these forms of magic is difficult. We ask that if you sign up, you do not drop out later. There will only be one grade level for each class, so first years and seventh years WILL be in the same class. But don't let that scare you! We encourage you to sign up, as these skills will come in handy in life."  
Everyone applauded as Professor Flitwick sat down. People began talking about the Alternative Magic Club instantly, but the all quieted down when Professor Dumbeldore began to speak again.  
"Ah! It is so good to see so many of you are interested in this club. We have set the wheels in motion for this club, not it's up to you to do the rest! I personally encourage you to join some form, as it's always handy to know another form of magic, just in case. But on to more important business(No offense meant, Proffesor Flitwick). I am supposed to tell you something else, but...what was it?" Dumbeldore stopped and stroked his beard, searching his brain for exactly what he was supposed to tell them. "Ah yes! Now I remember! I hope you will excuse this old man for his forgetfulness. I am pleased to introduce Proffesor Guenever Martinez, your new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher!"  
Professor Martinez stood up and waved as the students applauded. The girls at the Gryffindor table clapped extra hard: they were all for Women's Lib and were proud to have another female teacher.  
"And now, it is time to turn in for the night. I want you all in bed so you can be bright-eyed and bushy tailed for your first day tomorrow! Prefects, please come up and get the passwords for your houses. Everyone else, to bed!" Professor Dumbeldore said, as people became to file out. Hermione walked up with the other Gryffindor prefects to get the Fat Lady's password. Harry and Ron streamed out with Seamus, Dean, and Neville. All around them, everyone seemed to be talking about the Alternative Magic Club.  
"So, what'd ya reckon?" Ron asked, as the guys jogged up the stone staircase, "Is it worth taking?"  
"Maybe, but I dunno what subject I'd take." Harry said, mulling the idea over in his head.  
"It depends on who the teacher is." Seamus said pointedly.  
"If Snape's the teacher, I'm OUT!" Dean said, which was exactly what the others were thinking.  
"Well, if it's Potions extra credit, I'll take it. I need all the help I can get! Plus, maybe I'd be better at other magic than wand magic." Neville said.  
"Hey guys," Fred said, walking down the corridor and catching up with them, along with George and Lee. "So, you in? We're gonna take cooking."  
"Aw, shut up Ron" George said, knocking his brother on the shoulder. Ron had been laughing at the idea of Fred, George, and Lee in aprons. "We could branch out of Canary Creams and Ton-Tongue Toffees."  
"Plus there's the extra credit. Maybe I could get some for Transfiguration. McGonagall doesn't seem to like me much." Lee said.  
"Geez Lee, you're just figuring that out now!?" George said. Lee elbowed him and knocked him into the wall.  
"Oh, c'mon guys. Break it up and make my job easy." Hermione said, catching up with the guys.  
"Oh, Hermione, please don't ruin it for us! It's our last year! Our last chance to make mischief! We wanna go out with a bang!" Fred said.  
"Look, just don't be too obvious with what you're pulling. Don't let me know about it and have to stop you." Hermione said. The eight guys stopped dead in their tracks and looked at her with a mixture of shock and admiration.  
"Hermione! Are you saying you'll let us get away with stuff?" George asked.  
"You mean, you're gonna play favorites?" Lee asked.  
"Seriously, we can still pull pranks without you hating us?" Fred asked.  
"Of course! Just don't put it like that. C'mon, walk and I'll explain. It's nearly ten thirty and I don't wanna break curfew the first night. I mean, I AM a Prefect." Hermione said.  
"Okay, so now you gotta explain." Dean said, as the walked up yet another staircase and hopped over a trick stair.  
"Well, I know that whatever I say won't stop you guys. So I'm just asking you not to let me here your plans and try not to be at the scene of the crime. I don't wanna have to rat out my friends. Besides, you guys are two years older, and probably won't listen. So I'll take care of the younger kids and let the older Prefects handle the older kids."  
"Hermione, I'm shocked. You think we wouldn't respect you?" Fred asked, sounding genuinely hurt.  
"Well, not really. I mean, you don't set much store by what the teachers say, adn their older than you. So why would you listen to me?" she asked.  
"Well, actually I don't really know why, but we WILL listen to you. Honest." George said. "Oh, and guys, if we cut behind this tapestry, it's a shorter walk." Fred and Lee pulled back a tapestry of a fox hunt to reveal a long, narrow passage.   
"So, do you guys have the entire layout of the school memorized?" Dean asked, starting down the passageway. "Cause I've never be down this passage before.  
"Yeah, basically." George said offhandedly.  
"You could say we have a mental map." Fred said, with a sly look at Harry and Ron. He was, of course, referring to the Marauder's Map. It was then that Harry realized that he didn't HAVE the map anymore: Professor Dumbeldore still had it from when they took it off 'Mad-Eye Moody.'  
"OW!" Neville said. "You guys shoulda told me the passage bent! I can't see anything!"  
"We can fix that." Seamus said. Nearly instantly, everyone pulled out their wands and muttered 'Lumos.' The passageway lit up.  
"There, that's better." Lee said. "We don't need the light, cause we're so familiar with the passageway. Anyway, here's the end of it." Fred, George, and Lee leaned against the wall straight ahead while the others looked on in amazement. The wall opened like a door. Everyone stepped out and found themselves in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.  
"Wow! That WAS a shortcut!" Hermione said.  
"Yeah, and to think we never knew about it!" Ron said.  
"Password?" asked the Fat Lady.  
"Oh, come on. You've known us for seven years, Marielle! You KNOW we're in Gryffindor." Fred said to the painting.  
"Fred Weasley, if I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times! I HAVE to ask for the password. Professor Dumbeldore's orders. What if I made a mistake?" the Fat Lady answered. The fifth years watched in amazement. They had never seen the Fat Lady have a conversation with anyone except another painting.  
"Alright, we'll give you the password. But you NEVER make mistakes." Lee said in a charming voice. Hermione giggled as the Fat Lady blushed.  
"Higitus Figitus." Hermione said. The Fat Lady swung open.  
"Hermione, you're a Prefect, so you must have some power, right?" Neville asked, as they climbed through the portrait hole.  
"Yeah, I guess. Why Neville?" Hermione asked as she flopped down in a chair near the fire. The Common Room was cozy as usual. Many people were standing around rather awkwardly. Hermione realized that the first years didn't know where to sleep. Everyone else had taken a seat to hang out, but the first years seemed out of place.  
"Ya know what. Hold that thought, Neville. I've gotta show the first years where to sleep." Hermione said, as she got up and walked towards the groups of first years.  
"OK, here's the deal. Girls, head up the left staircase, boys, the right one. Go to the first landing. There'll be a sign saying "First Years." Everyone take one bed, there's exactly enough. Your stuff will already be up there. Oh, and guys," Hermione said. The first years stopped. They had been heading upstairs already. "Classes start at 8, breakfast is in the Great Hall. And cheer up! Hogwarts is lots of fun! If you get lost or need help, ask an older student to help you. We're all one big family here!"  
Hermione headed back to her seat as the first years went upstairs.   
"Nice pep talk there, Herm." Fred said, a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  
"Hey, I had to do something! I can't stand them looking like they're on a death march! And Fred, if you're so cool, why are you hanging out with a bunch of fifth year that happen to include your brother?" Hermione answered coolly.  
"Hey, I'm going! I just thought I could honor you with my presence." Fred said.  
"Oh, that's the reason, is it?" Harry said, smiling.  
"Alright, I'll leave!" Fred said mock huffily. "C'mon guys! We can tell when we are not wanted." Fred, George, and Lee stalked off looking like pouty models. They grabbed some chairs by Angela, Alicia, and Katie. Hermione wasn't sure if they wanted to flirt with the girls, or annoy them.  
"So, what do you guys think of Professor Martinez?" Hermione asked. She was eager to hear everyone's opinion of the teacher.  
"I think she looks cool!" Lavender said. Parvati and herself had just walked over.  
"Yeah, she looks friendly." Parvati said. "Skooch over, Seamus. There's room for both of us on that sofa." Seamus moved over, Hermione noticed, with a grin on his face. It appeared that he didn't mind sharing the sofa with Parvati.  
"I'm glad we have another female teacher." Hermione said. "Especially in a class like DADA. It's really seen as a masculine subject."  
"Yeah, and if her lessons are boring, we have something else to occupy our attention!" Ron said, wiggling his eyebrows. The guys laughed as the girls tossed pillows at him. "Hey! I'm just stating the obvious!" Ron defended himself, but to no avail.  
"Guys, I'm heading up to bed. I don't want to be late tomorrow." Hermione said, standing up.  
"Yeah, I'm kinda tired too." Harry said, yawning. Everyone said good night and drifted off to bed.  
As Hermione slipped into her navy blue pajamas, she thought of the new teacher. What would she be like? How would she treat them? Would the guys respect her? But as Hermione's head hit the pillow, she found she was far too tired to think about it. She was out in five minutes flat.  
  
*A/N* SO?? What did you think?? When you're reading the slang, just think about how YOU speak. Most of us don't form our words, so why would they be any different?? This chapter was a lot about Hermione, but everyone will get their chapter. Oh, and I've been in a cheesecake mood lately, so that's why I put in about the cheesecake! Also, the new characters will be in TONS, and I'll do a lot about the new club. Please give me some ideas!! Please review and pass on the word!  
O, I forgot to includ this in the last chapter's note! They sell Every Flavor Beans(at least in the US!). Some flavors are really good, like orange sherbert, but sardine is NASTY!! They sell them in Blockbusters and Claire's Accesories, but their like 5.50. Oh well! Try them! They're made by Jelly Belly. Thanx!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	5. Every Flavor Beans

*Author's Note* OK, here it is! I've been workin my butt off to get it done, but I'm also working on a Lily/James fic Our Lives Together. Plus, there was the whole web site being down. I've written a bunch of stories during the time without posting, so prepare for a whole bunch to be uploaded! Please review!  
  
*Disclaimer* I don't own the Harry Potter characters, cause I'm not JK Rowling! Simple as that.  
  
CHAPTER 5: EVERY FLAVORED BEANS  
Harry woke early the next morning, disoriented. 'What's goin on? It's WAY too quiet for the Borrow. Maybe I'm not at the Burrow. Privet Drive? No, I don't hear Dudley's snores...' he thought. It took a few minutes to realize he was at Hogwarts. Once he realized he was home, a certain peace settled over him.  
Harry opened the curtains and stepped out. His foot landed right in a patch of sunlight, which felt warm on his bare feet. It was fairly cool for an early September morning. Glancing at the wall clock, Harry found it was only 6:37. '6:37!! What am I doing up now! I don't need to be up now! I won't be able to get to sleep either, I never can! Oh well, I'm up. Might as well make the most of it....'  
Harry showered and got changed. He was going to pack his bag, but then he realized he didn't have a schedule yet, so he didn't know what classes to pack for. Realizing he would wake everyone if he puttered around upstairs(and he did NOT want to wake these guys up early...), he took his Firebolt and broom servicing kit down to the Common Room.  
But he wasn't the only one who was up. As Harry entered the Common Room, he saw a figure sitting by the picture window. At first, he was suprised that anyone else was up. Then he saw the person had long, brown, bushy hair.  
"Hermione?" Harry asked curiously. The girl by the window jumped, surprised that anyone else was there. She spilled whatever was in her mug. When she turned around to look at who had surprised her, Harry saw that it indeed was Hermione.  
"Harry! I didn't know you had come down. Don't surprise me like that!" Hermione scolded. She conjured a rag out of thin air and wiped up the mess.   
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I was surprised that someone else was up. Wait a minute, is that cocoa? Where'd you get it? And we have Hogwarts' mugs?" Harry asked in confusion.  
Hermione giggled, which was something she didn't usually do. "Well, 'we' do, but you're not one of the 'we.' See, we prefects have a breakroom, cause you guys give us such a hard time, we need a safe haven to recuperate! It's down by the staff room. It's like the Common Room. I figured I check it out this morning, figured I'd have the place to myself. I found some cocoa brewing down there, so I filled up a Hogwarts mug and came back to the Common Room. I would've stayed there, it's quite comfy, but there's no window, and I love the view of the grounds in the morning."  
Harry mulled this over in his head. "So you mean to tell me that you woke up, showered, changed, did your makeup, walked down to the break room, got cocoa, and came back, without waking anyone?? You must've been up since dawn!"  
"Um, actually, I have been up since dawn. And you forgot 'watched sunrise' on your list." Harry stared at her like she was crazy. "It's a ritual. Everyday on the first day back, I wake up at dawn and watch the sunrise. It's a kind of 'rebirthing,' very refreshing. Plus, my internal clock always wakes me up at 6:30, the latest. Also, we go to the Break Room via Floo Powder, so we don't have to walk all the way down. Actually, everywhere in Hogwarts can be reached by Floor Powder."  
"So, what about passwords? You don't need them to use a fireplace, so I could just go to, say Dumbledore's office?" Harry asked, curiously. If so, this would open new windows for Fred, George, and pranking.  
"Oh, it's password protected! You say what room you what, then the password." Hermione replied  
"Darn!" Harry said. Hermione smiled knowingly.  
"Harry," she asked thoughtfully, "Why are you up? You and Ron are last risers. You guys slept till noon at the Borrow."  
"Oh, it was too quiet. I'm used to the noise of the Borrow, or Dudley's snores, and the silence woke me up. But that's okay. I can get down to breakfast while there's still food! C'mon, let's go!" Harry said, grabbing Hermione by the wrist and pulling her toward the Potrait Hole.  
"Harry, should we wake Ron? He'll probably be late, and on the first day..." Hermione said, looking anxiously at the clock. It was quarter after seven. As much as she wanted breakfast now, and just her and Harry, she really didn't want Ron to be late on the first day.  
"Don't worry! I learned you should NEVER wake Ron unless it's an emergency, he's not a morning person. Besides, the grandfather clock chimes at 7:30, that'll wake everyone. And believe me, Peeves wakes them if they sleep."  
"Alright!" Hermione said, happy at the prospect of just her and Harry at breakfast.  
When they got to the Great Hall, the tables were mostly empty. It seemed that everyone else had slept in. Professor McGonagall handed them their schedules as they sat down at the Gryffindor table. "Do either of you know where the rest of Gryffindor is?" she aske them impatiently,  
"Probably still...." Harry started to explain about everyone sleeping in.  
"Getting showered and dressed!" Hermione added hastily.  
Both Harry and McGonagall gave her a look, but the Professor seemed satisified, and walked away muttering how kids today were too slow.  
"Hermione, you know everyone is sleeping!? Why didn't you let me tell the truth?" Harry said. He knew Hermione told the truth, especially to teachers, and her lying had amused and confused him  
"Professor McGonagall is a stickler for punctuality. If we told her everyone was sleeping, she'd go right up there and wake everyone with a lecture on waking up at a reasonable time. Now she'll just go around annoyed that everyone is taking so long to get groomed. It's better this way, trust me." Hermione said with a smile. Harry nodded, and they started to look over their schedules while munching on some breakfast.  
"Oh, Herbology first period. That's different. We had that in second year and it worked out well. It'll be nice to work outside before the noon sun, it'll still be cool." Hermione said, reaching for some pumpkin juice.  
"Yeah, but not in the winter!" Harry said. "Oh, crud, we still have Potions and Care of Magical Creatures with the Slytherins. Who writes this thing! Do they WANT to torture us!" Hermione laughed at Harry's anguish, but she hated classes with the Slytherin's and she knew Ron would be livid, being stuck with them again.  
The mail owls came then, though most of their recipients were still sleeping. Many owls seemed ticked off that they had come to deliver mail and no one was there to receive it. Harry received an official looking Hogwarts letter. "What's that? You couldn't have done something wrong already, could you??" Hermione asked.  
Harry opened it and read the familiar loopy handwriting.  
  
Harry,   
This is just a reminder about our meeting tonight. 7 o'clock in my office(password: Every Flavor Beans). It probably slipped your mind in all the back-to-school excitement. Enjoy your first day back(wink, wink)!  
Professor Dumbledore  
  
"It's just a note from Professor Dumbledore, reminding me about out meeting tonight. He wants to talk to me about the Voldermort attacks and stuff." Harry said.  
The Great Hall's doors burst open, and Seamus, Dean, Neville, and Ron, along with some other kids, ran in panicked. They all sat down at their respective tables and began to eat as fast as they could. "Harry! Why didn't you wake me! I have ten minutes to eat breakfast and pack, you git!" Ron said angrily, buttering some toast.  
"Ron, last time I woke you, you grabbed your wand and threatened to kill me. I'm not in a hurry to repeat that." Harry said coolly.  
Hermione giggled(she seemed to be doing that a lot lately...) as Ron replied: "Well, that was different. That was some Saturday during the summer. This is the first day of school! I'm gonna be late!"  
"Ron, we have Herbology first. Pack some toast and eat it on the way down!" Hermione said calmly, solving the problem with an obvious answer which the guys hadn't even thought of.  
"Well, OK, I can do that." Ron said, blushing slightly at the fact that he lost his head over something like being late for class.  
"Oh, and by the way Ron" Hermione said, chocking back a laugh, "you've got a gob of shampoo still in your hair. I guess in your hurry you didn't have time to rinse!"  
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Herbology was the same as always: they had it with the Hufflepuffs, which was nice. The Hufflepuffs were peaceful and friendly, if not a little sub-dued. Hermione assumed they were mourning for Cedric. It was only natural to remember him on the first day back. They only difference in class was that they used Greenhouse 4, which had more dangerous plants.  
"See Harry, it's still cool! This is a great class to have early! Plus, it's so...positive! Professor Sprout is so nice, and herbology is one of those satisfying clases, probably cause it's hands-on. I mean, can you imagine starting the day with Potions?" Hermione asked. The guys laughed at her exceptionally good mood. Apparently, the return to school had her in high spirits.  
"Yeah, well Fred and George have to! They have Potions first period every Thursday. I heard them complaining this morning." Ron said as they jogged down the corridor to Gryffindor Tower. They needed some showers, because Herbology was a very physical subject, and everyone smelt like fertilizer.  
"Can you blame them? Snape's horrible! And he doesn't exactly strike me as a morning person." Harry said as Ron gave the Fat Lady the password.  
After a quick shower, the trio packed their books for their next classes and set off. They had Charms and History of Magic that morning, a quick lunch, then Transfiguration in the afternoon. Charms was usually the most fun. In the past, they had banished pillows, elevated feathers, and cheered each other up using magic. Who wouldn't look forward to the class? Plus, Professor Flitwick was the most laid-back teacher. They could get away with lots in his class. History of Magic was boring, but everyone expected that. The subject itself was fine. Everyone wanted to know about their magical roots. But Professor Binns was just so dull! He lectured them on everything, never did anything multi-media, like bring in a guest speaker or show pictures. The class essentially learned nothing, because the majority napped in his class.  
But Transfiguration was something else! Professor McGonagall gave them a traditional beginning-of-year speech. "Your O.W.Ls are fast approaching, and I will be preparing you this year. The level of Transfiguration you will learn is getting diffucult, even dangerous. You know I tolerate no misbehavior, and that will not change. This class has always been a fairly easy one to teach, and I hope you continue that. You all have a real knack for the subject, and seem fairly eager to learn. I ask that you continue that, and pay close attention."  
Everyone was glad to have the day done, only Harry's day wasn't quite finished. He still had the meeting with Dumbeldore. They had wound up with homework on the first night! Hermione had even more than the guys, because she had had gotten Arithmancy homework. While she worked on that, the guys went over Quidditch technique. It seemed Ron was determined to become the Gryffindor Keeper. When the clock read ten to seven, Harry set out. He didn't want to be late for his meeting with Dumbeldore.  
When Harry gave the password, the stone Gargoyle sprang aside. The door at the top was already open. Harry went into the office, where Professor Dumbledore sat behind his desk. His phoenix, Fawkes, was circling the room.   
"Ah, hello Harry. So glad you remembered!" Professor Dumbeldore said paternally. "I thought in all the beginning of term hubbub, it might have slipped your mind!" Harry was silent. "Well, then, on to business!  
"Harry, you and I both know that Lord Voldermort is after you. He wants YOU, specifically. You are in great danger, as are your friends, but we can conquer that danger. Voldermort needs to prove that he is stronger than you. He can do that either by killing you or persuading you to join the dark side. Now, personally, I don't believe he is stronger than you." Harry stared at Dumbledore in disbelief. Harry was a fifth year. How could he be stronger than the most powerful sorceror ever??  
"Harry, I know what you're thinking. But you have powers unknown to anyone! Voldermort knows you are powerful, and he wants to harbor that power. I believe I am right in thinking that you would die rather than go to his side??" Dumbeldore inquired, peering at Harry over the top of his half-moon spectacles.  
Harry nodded, and said, "Professor Dumbeldore, he killed my mum and dad, Cedric, and tons of other people. He is pure evil. I made a promise in my first year that I would never join the Dark Side. Never. I intend to stick to my guns. But sir, I still don't think I'm more powerful than him. You definetly are. But me, I'm just a fifth year wizard!"  
"Harry, you'll see in time that I'm right. Now, that determination is good. Now, your power, and the power of your peers is one reason why this Alternative Magic club was formed. The students inside this school are some of the most gifted I have ever seen. Ever. They need to know what hidden powers they have. Now, Harry, you WILL be taking wandless magic, because YOU need to know it! It may save your life! It is written in the stars that you will be an expert in this subject. Many other students are talented in Alternative Magic, and we want to bring this out. Do you understand?"  
"Yes, sir. But as you know, I'm not caught up on the times. Has Voldermort been growing powerful?" Harry asked, already knowing the answer.  
"Yes, Harry. He is currently in Hungary, steadily gaining power. There is a major wizarding city there, Budablong, just outside Budapest. My table of advisors and myself feel that he will try to take over wizarding cities first. A wise plan, don't you think??"  
"Yes sir. He will wipe out many wizards and witches there, and even gain some supporters. Plus, he can set up a head-quarters there, safe from prying Muggle eyes." Harry said.  
Dumbeldore chuckled, "Well, I'm glad you understand what we're up against. We feel Hogsmeade will be targeted, which is why extra protection charms have been placed on Hogwarts and the surronding area. Harry, we must protect you at all costs! If he gets you, there is no hope. Do you have any idea how many prophecies are written about you?" Harry shook his head, getting nervous, "Many. In fact, your friend Miss Granger, will be decoding many of them in Ancient Runes. Her class does not know it, but they will be helping us in a huge way simply by doing their homework!  
"Now, Harry, here is what I really wanted to discuss with you. There is a prophecy, The Prohecy of Heroes, which is currently being dug up in Ireland. There have been many attempts to dig up the tablets it is written upon. It is the most important and reliable of all the prophecies. It was written by Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw themselves. They wrote it shortly before they died. Salzaar Slytherin had talked about an heir that would be powerful and deadly. The others were afraid. Helga Hufflepuff was an excellent divinator. The words of the prophecy were given to her in a dream. She shared the details with Godric Gryffindor and Rowena Ravenclaw. They wrote the prophecy in a very detailed script, that way, only few could decipher it. The few that can will be able to use it. They wrote down the location of the tablets and noted that there were enchantments that had to be broken to get to it. That information has been passed down to every Headmaster, and I decided to try to dig it up. You may ask why it is so protected. Well, think of yourself as Voldermort. You want this Prophecy so you know who can defeat you. Then you could kill them, and be there forever. But it will take many wizards to recover and then decipher it. Voldermort would have to send out his most trustworthy and logical Death Eaters. Since they would be gone, less destruction would occur. Plus, it is such hard work, many people would give up on it. But not us. We need this Prophecy. It describes the Ultimate Heroes. Harry, YOU can conquer Voldermort, but not alone. This prophecy will outline who needs to help you. First, it must be translated, then solved. You will be the first to know when the prophecy is translated. You, Miss Granger, and Mister Weasley will be a big help in solving this: you are all experts when it comes to riddles. Harry, I realize the enormity of what I am placing on your shoulders, and I'm sorry, but it must be so. Now, I ask you to return to your Common Room and share with your friends what I have told you. I fully expect you too. In fact, it will be helpful for you too. We will be having more of these meetings, I'm sure. But this is all for now. Any questions?" Harry shook his head. "Then I bid you good night."  
Harry took this cue to leave. He did share with Ron and Hermione all he had learned, and stayed awake long into the night, pondering it all. Would he really be able to stop Voldermort. He knew Hermione didn't buy into divination, but she seemed to believe what Dumbeldore said.   
************************************************************************  
The rest of the week went as normally as a week at Hogwarts could go. Hermione's main focus was helping the first years. Twice she was late for class because she was directing them, but the Professors understood. It seemed a prefect could get away with anything. When Ron pointed this out to Hermione, she said "Well, we need some perks on the job, don't we?"  
"I'd have thought that a spa bathroom and a break room were perks enough." Harry said with a smile.  
"Wait, what's this about a break room?" Ron asked, confused. Harry and Hermione had to explain the whole thing to him, because he had been asleep for the conversation.  
Their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class with Professor Martinez was on Wednesday. The Gryffindor fifth years were eager for their class to begin. Ginny have given Professor Martinez rave reviews.  
"Good morning, class." Professor Martinez said cheerfully as she entered the room. The pre-class chatter died down as everyone took their seats. The class was silent, watching the young teacher with rapt attention.  
"Well, I guess I'll take role." she said, pulling out a roll of parchment. Professor Martinez had apparently done her research before class: she had a personal comment for every student.  
"Granger, Hermione" she called. "Here!" Hermione replied eagerly "Misss Granger, I've heard you are top of your class! Bravo!" Hermione blushed.  
"Patil, Parvati" Professor continued down the list "Here." "Parvati, I taught your twin Padma yesterday. Charming girl, really. And I believe I am right in thinking you are very much like her." Parvati nodded. "Good, a peace keeper. Having you should make this class easier to teach." Parvati smiled.  
"Weasley, Ronald" "Here, and if you have to use by first name, could you call me Ron." Professor Martinez nodded "Of course! I always preferred to be Gwen, though I didn't mind Guenever that much. Ron, I must say, you are not the first Weasley I've met! I worked as an intern at the Ministry. You're father is so nice! I also met your older brother Percy. I taught Ginny on Monday, and I ran into Fred and George yesterday(though I wasn't so happy with the circumstances: they had Dungbombs in their hands, which made me quite suspicious.). Anyway, while your family is a joy, I hope you are your own person." "Yes ma'm, I'm quite different from everyone else in my family. Ask Harry, he'll testify!" everyone laughed, including Professor Martinez, who leaned her head back and flashed her teeth as she laughed. Her laugh was quite infectious.  
"Now, Professor Dumbledore has informed me what you have all learned these last four years. We'll be studying curses and creatures. The first half will be curses and counter-curses, since you haven't learned as much about them. And don't worry, I'm not as hands on as last year's teacher! Later, we'll cover dark creatures. You've had a lot of experience, in real life, with Dark Magic. I look forward to teaching you, you seem very eager.   
"Now, to begin! You need to learn counter-curses! Today we'll learn the Protective Shield charm. True, this is a charm, but it's essential to protection! Who can tell me about it?"   
Hermione raised her hand "The Protective Shield charm is cast by saying 'Protectionous!' and pointing the wand at whoever you want to protect. But it doesn't block all charms-"   
"Well done, Miss Granger! Five points to Gryffindor. But, if you don't mind, I'd like some other students to participate. Who knows what curses you WON'T be protected from? Anyone?? Oh, come on! Class participation is one fifth of you grade!"  
Ron cautiously raised his hand. "Yes, Mr. Weasley?" "Well, last year we learned that Avada Kedavra is unblockable, so you can still be hit with that..." "Good reasoning! I'm glad to see that you didn't let all you've learned disappear over the summer! A point to Gryffindor. Anyone else know what curses are unblockable?"  
"Yes, Lavender?" "Um, if Avada Kedavra is unblockable, are all Unforgivable Curses?"   
"Why yes, Lavender! Take a point for your logic! The Unforgivable Curses are unblockable, and, as you know, illegal. You can learn to fight the Imperius Curse, and learn to deal with the Cruticus Curse, but nothing can be done against Avada Kedavra."  
The lesson continued like like. Professor Martinez made everyone participate. But by the end of the class, they'd earned ten points for Gryffindor. Everyone seemed to like Professor Martinez, and as Hermione pointed out "I hope she stays for next year!"  
***********************************************************************Friday afternoon brought Double Potions. "Do you realize we have had Double Potions with the Slytherins Friday afternoon EVERY YEAR!" an irate Harry said, "Seriously, everything else changes, but they have to keep the worst class the same, every stinkin' year!"  
"Harry, it's not that bad." Hermione said soothingly. Ron and Harry turned on her.  
"Hermione, the man treats us like dirt! Worse than dirt! And you two especially!" Ron said, spitting mad.  
"Look, Ron, I hate him too! But I can't do anything by complaining! I mean, we do learn a lot in Potions, just, well, I'd rather I didn't have to learn while being taunted by someone who never shampoos!" Hermione said. The guys smiled as they took their seats. It was always worth it to get Hermione fired up.  
"Take your seats." Snape said, hurrying into the room. He looked very disheveled and hurried. "Today we shall be working on a Depression Potion. This potion can bring anyone down to a bad mood, no matter how happy they are..." he continued with the lesson, ocassionally snapping at people and telling them how wrong their potions were.  
"This is a pretty easy potion!" Hermione said to Ron, her partner, as they cut up lionfish.  
"Hermione, don't say pretty easy, cause it is hard. But it is something like what we'd do in third year." he said, preparing the potion for heating.  
At the end of the class, everyone had to sample their Potions, a dreaded task. Everyone left class on a beautiful Friday afternoon feeling like they were falling into an endless pit.  
"Y'know, I have the strangest feeling that we WON'T be learning the Cheerful Potion." Harry said, packing his potion supplies. Ron and Hermione nodded solemnly(they could only nod solemnly: the Potion hadn't quite ended yet.)  
"Yes, and we really could use it after this!" Hermione answered, but no one could laugh at either joke.  
When the trio returned to the Common Room on Friday, a note was posted on the bulletin word.  
  
ATTENTION QUIDDITCH FANS!  
THE POSITION OF KEEPER AND TWO RESERVES ARE AVAILABLE ON THE GRYFFINDOR TEAM. TRYOUTS WILL BE NEXT FRIDAY AT 4 O'CLOCK ON THE QUIDDITCH PITCH. THE GRYFFINDOR TEAM IS EXPECTED TO BE THERE. THANK YOU!  
-KATIE BELL, CAPTAIN  
  
"Oh, so Katie's Captain! Good for her!" Hermione said, turning to her homework.  
"Harry, we've got to start training!" Ron said shortly. Harry nodded. The two grabbed their brooms and said goodbye to Hermione. They had just ran out the potrait hole, when Harry jogged back up to his dorm and returned with Quidditch: The Ultimate Guide to Strategy, looking sheepish. Hermione shook her head in exasperation and went back to work as the two ran down to the Quidditch pitch to fit in some practice before dinner.  
  
*A/N* So, how was it? I know the prophecies are over-done, but I like the idea, so I'll try it! Please review, and tell me what you think. Fred or George were going to be Captain, but I didn't want co-captains, and let's face it, their not too responsible! Please review and check out some of my other stuff!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	6. Quidditch and Epiphanies

*Author's Note* Sorry! I've started high school, and have had NO TIME to write! Plus, I lost my disk which had the story(found it though!) But seriously, I'm so sorry I made all of your wait! You could prove you still love me by reviewing! :) Anyway, please enjoy this chapter and hang in their for the next installment!  
  
Feel free to send suggestions to me at Cinderella49@another.co.uk. Oh, and if I don't have the next chapter up by January, feel free to send me a Howler!  
  
Disclaimer: HP and all them are JK Rowling's. I wish they were mine, they're really divine....(sound familiar? Couldn't resist it!)  
  
CHAPTER 6: QUIDDITCH AND EPIPHANIES  
  
September turned cool and crisp on the Hogwarts grounds, the ideal fall. Though not yet cold, many people had already taken to wearing their cloaks.  
Ron found the following week interminable. He and Harry were training every day, as were many other Quidditch hopefuls. Monday night they had to fight with some Hufflepuffs over training space, but they found out why. Hufflepuff was holding tryouts on Tuesday night, Ravenclaw on Wednesday, and Slytherin on Thursday. Ron was very glad he didn't have to tryout until Friday. He had more time to practice. Plus, he wasn't going to be in class right before(they got Friday afternoons off). And, since he had a whole weekend to deal with assignments, he wouldn't have to rush upstairs and work on essays.   
Everyone felt the tryouts couldn't come soon enough. All of the Gryffindors who were trying out had been practicing every night, which wasn't so bad. They weren't disturbing anyone. But then they started bugging other people to help them practice. Tuesday night was one of the few times Harry had seen Ginny lose her temper.  
"Oh come on Ginny! I really need someone to serve as Chaser. I can't practice blocking without someone to block!" Colin Creevey begged Ginny on Tuesday.  
"Sorry, Colin, but I just can't right now, I told you that. Twice" an exasperated Ginny replied, not even looking up from her Muggle Studies text book.  
"Well, why not?"  
"Because I have homework, Colin."  
"Well, so did I! But I had time to do MY homework, and I did a good job on it too, thank you very much! If you didn't have time to finish your homework, it's your own fault. Why should I be punished!?"  
Ginny finally looked up, a stern look in her eye, "Colin Creevey, I am taking Muggle Studies and Ancient Runes, two classes YOU are not. So I have two extra subjects to do assignments for. I just don't have time to help you-" Colin opened his mouth to reply, but Ginny stopped him, wagging her finger at him "No you don't Colin! I'm going to say what I have to say. I'd like to mention the fact that my brother Ron is also trying out for Keeper. What kind of sister would I be if I trained the competition? And what kind of friend would I be to you if I trained Ron? So I won't help either of you, and I'll cheer for both of you." That said, a satisfied Ginny turned back to her chapter on Muggle Transportation.  
But worse than Colin(as hard as that may seem) was Ron. Ron was constantly training, and as a consequence, he was falling back on his homework. Hermione was forced to help him keep up(well, not really FORCED, but she wasn't about to see her friend fail). And Harry was also helping Ron train and subsequently falling behind on his work. Hermione was therefore doing her homework, helping Ron and Harry with their assignments, and finding helpful Quidditch books for Ron. Ron had become a fanatic lately, spending almost as much time as Hermione in the library. When not practicing, Ron was reading books such as "Quidditch Through the Ages," "Quidditch: The Ultimate Guide to Strategy," and "Quidditch for Beginners."  
Ron awoke Friday morning to perfect Quidditch conditions. The sun was gently, peacefully streaming through the windows. The landscape out the window was so serene, it was hard to believe that somewhere out there, Voldermort and his henchmen were committing haneous crimes. But Ron pushed all thoughts out of his mind, except Quidditch. He needed to be focused to make the team.   
Ron hurried into the shower. He had purposely woken early, so as to have the bathroom to himself. He would then go down to the Common Room (also presumably empty) and do some last minute technique studying(and read over his Charms notes for the quiz, if he had time). But when Ron got down to the Common Room, he couldn't focus on Quidditch plays. His mind, and eyes, kept drifting to the beautiful surroundings. Resignedly, Ron closed "Keeping: How to Block AND Stay on Your Broom(containing tips from professional Quidditch Keeper Barry Sanders)" and opened his Charms notes. It was still hard to focus, but the lessons kept his mind off the tryouts and the funny feeling in the pit of his stomach.  
"Ron?" a soft voice came from the stairwell. Ron turned, startled, to see Hermione standing at the bottom of the Girl's stairs, brushing her hair.  
"Oh, hey Hermione," he replied, equally quiet.  
"Ron, you're up early. I usually have the Common Room to myself. Although I expect you came for the peace and quiet too. Oh, I see you're studying strategy again." Hermione said, frowning. She disapproved of the fact that Ron would spend hours on Quidditch tips, and only minutes on Potions essays.  
"Actually, it's Charms note." he said, holding up his parchment. The piece of paper was covered by Ron's untidy scrawl, along with a few doodles he had drawn out of boredom. One such doodle was a very unflattering characature of Snape.   
"Really? You're studying?" Hermione asked, impressed.  
"Yeah. I haven't spent much time studying lately. And it'd be a shame if I made the team, but was pulled because of grades. Hermione?"   
"Mmm?" she replied.   
"D'ya think you could help me with this one charm? I just can't get the wand movement down!" Ron said, swishing his wand around recklessly.  
"Sure!" Hermione replied helpfully, and sat down next to Ron. They sat there for ten minutes, practicing a spiral wand movement, until Harry came down. The trio headed down to breakfast. Talk about tryouts surrounded them. As they walked down the stairs leading to the Great Hall, Ron separated from the other two and talked to Lee Jordan. Hermione and Harry both shot nervous glances at Lee: they were afraid he would get Ron all riled up. But it seemed to be the opposite. Lee had Ron laughing and talking easily. And then Hermione realized that this happened to everyone that was around Lee. Lee's mood was absolutely contagious. It was like he had some mysterious power which could control people's attitudes. Whenever Lee was happy, everyone around him was happy. And when Lee was angry, everyone sided with him. So maybe some of Lee's exuberance about the tryouts would rub off on Ron.  
But as they sat at the table, Ron seemed to pale a little. The smell of food seemed to nauseate him. But Hermione wasn't going to let him go to tryouts on an empty stomach. "C'mon Ron, you've got to eat something! Just some toast, it's easy on the stomach, nothing big." she tried.  
"No thanks 'Mione, I'm not that hungry..." Ron began, but Harry cut him off.  
"Ron, you're not pulling any of that crud with me. I've played Quidditch, I know how the nerves make you feel. 'I'm not hungry' is just a bad way of saying 'I don't want to risk it.' Well, bacon never killed me, and I've had some pretty awful nerves. So eat, before I have to source some food down your throat."  
Ron smiled and took some toast and marmalade "Alright Harry, but geez, you sure sound like my mum!" They smiled. Harry reached over to grab the pitcher of pumpkin juice from Hermione, but was suddenly splashed by it.  
"What the heck!?" Harry exclaimed, wiping his glasses as owls landed all over the table.  
"There's something gray in there. Hold on..." Hermione said, reaching in and pulling out a limp figure, covered in thick pumpkin juice.  
"Errol!" Ron shouted, taking the poor bird from Hermione. "I reckon it's time we retire you Errol! Here have a bit of toast." Hermione smiled at the way Ron gingerly nursed the animal.  
After a few minutes, Harry realized something. "Ron, he must have been carrying something. I doubt he just was on an early morning flight and decided to visit you."  
"True." Ron said "But where is the letter?"  
"Right here, I think." Neville, who was sitting next to Hermione, had just poured himself a glass of juice. A folded piece of parchment was floating at the top.  
"Oh! Sorry about that Neville! I guess the letter was in the juice." Hermione said, taking the letter from Neville's glass as Ron and Harry laughed.  
"Yeah, and Neville, you might not want to drink that. Looks like Errol molted in that pitcher." Harry pointed out. Neville spit out his mouthful of juice.  
"Right. Good idea, Harry." Neville said, walking to the other side of the table and pouring himself a glass from a different pitcher.   
"Well, since Errol nearly killed himself to deliver this letter, the least I can do is read it!" Ron said, unfolding the note. As he red it, his forehead and ears turned red. By the time he was done, the color had taken over his face.  
"So what is it?" Hermione asked impatiently.  
"Letter from Mum," Ron replied, trying to put the letter into his bag, but Hermione snatched it before he could and read:  
"Dear Ron,  
Hope your term is going well. We miss you here, as always. Your father and Percy are so swamped with work! It seems I'm by myself most of the time. Oh well.  
I wrote to wish you could luck! Ginny told me tryouts were today. Just do your best, we'll be proud of you no matter what!  
Love Always,  
Mom  
  
P.S.-Please let Errol stay at the Owlery to recover. He didn't seem quite up for the journey, but I had no choice but to send him."  
  
"Aw, Ron that's so sweet!" Hermione said, passing the note to Harry, much to Ron's dismay.  
Harry read the note, chuckled, and replied "Look at it this way Ron: at least she cares! Could you imagine me talking to the Durselys about Quidditch!" Ron laughed and turned back to his normal color.  
The day seemed interminable. Every class seemed twice as long as ever before. When lunch rolled around, Harry and Hermione were glad to see Ron was eating. He didn't need any encouragement. He'd used a lot of energy trying not to set off Snape. He was hungry.  
"So Harry, how long do you think tryouts will take?" Hermione asked as they hurried up to Gryffindor Tower after lunch.  
"Dunno. Depends on how many people try out. Why?"   
"I was wondering how long I'd be sitting in the stands, and if I should bring my cloak."  
"What, you mean you're coming to tryouts?" Ron asked, with a raised eyebrow.  
"Of course! I want to cheer you on! Besides, everyone else will be down watching. I'm not gonna stay up here by myself!" Hermione replied.  
"Higitus Figitus." Harry said to the Fat Lady, and they scrambled into the Common Room.  
Gryffindor Common Room was a flurry of activity. Team members were running around in their scarlet robes, talking with one another. Team hopefuls were scrambling to find their brooms, their service kits, and all their other stuff for try-outs.  
Harry groaned as he saw the other team members. "Looks like I've gotta get changed. C'mon Ron." Ron nodded, and said to Hermione "We'll be down in like five minutes."  
There pounded up the spiral staircase. The dorm room was empty: Neville, Dean, and Seamus were already down in the Common Room. "I'll get changed in the bathroom, and you can get changed in here and get all your stuff together. Sound good?" Harry asked, grabbing his Gryffindor robes from his trunk as Ron took out his broom. "Yeah, sounds like a plan." Ron responded as Harry slipped into the bathroom.  
Ron managed to get changed, despite the fact that his hands were shaking like mad. Ron surveyed in Cleansweep and its awry twigs. With a sudden thought, he called out "Harry, I'm gonna borrow your Broom Servicing Kit." Harry's answer was muffled through the door, but Ron took it as a yes. He began clipping the tail and polishing the handle, but it was no use. Ron sighed and slipped the kit back into Harry's trunk.  
Harry reappeared in full Quidditch garb. "Shall we go then?" Harry asked. "We shall." Ron replied, slingin the ol' Cleansweep over his shoulder. The guys descended the stairs and met up with Hermione in the Common Room. Ginny, Hermione told them, had already set off with Colin. As they scrambled out the potrait hole, Harry noticed how few people were left and wondered just how many people would be at tryouts. Ron was nervous enough as it was, and Harry wasn't sure how Ron's stomach would react to a large crowd.  
But Ron seemed confident, even if it was just a facade. He was mentally reviewing all the plays Harry and he had gone over. They walked down the corridors, discussing who else might be trying out and also who had made the other house teams.  
"I'm tellin' you, Malfoy was not happy when that second year got on the team! Seems to think he wasn't good enough. Unfortunately for us, Malfoy's wrong. That kid is good, which gives Slytherin a boost-" Harry was saying as they rounded the corner to the Entrance Hall, when they heard a cold drawling voice that could belong to none other than Malfoy. "Speak of the devil." Hermione muttered as Malfoy's pale face came into view.  
Malfoy had justed noticed the three, who were trying to walk across the Hall as quickly as possible without looking obvious. "So, trying out, are you Weasley? Or is the Mudblood trying out? Wait a minute...can she even fly? Either way, neither will head Gryffindor win." Malfoy said, chuckling at (what he thought were) some scathing remarks.  
"Shove off Malfoy!" Ron said, turning red as he swatted at Malfoy with his broom handle.  
Malfoy gave a mock gasp. "Dear me, you don't expect to make the team with a...with a...with a Cleansweep, do you!? Geez Weasley, that broom must be older than you!"  
Ron started to reply, but Harry cut in "Malfoy, not that it's any or YOUR business, but Ron has to fly with my Firebolt today, because his new broom hasn't come in yet. And, for your information, Hermione is an excellent flyer, better than your whole Slythering team," Hermione blushed, but nodded subtly "Oh, and may I add that Gryffindor will kick Slytherin's butt even without a Keeper. Now move it, Malfoy, we're late." and the three stalked off, leaving Malfoy speechless.  
Hermione and Ron looked at each other and then began to clap for Harry, much to Harry's embarassment. "Nicely done, Harry, very nice. But one thing...I'm flying a Cleansweep and I didn't order a new broom!" Ron said.  
"Malfoy doesn't know that! And," Harry said, turning to Ron "You're welcome to use the Firebolt is you want to. And after you make the team, you can order a new broom."  
Ron paused, letting this sink in. Harry was offering to let Ron use one of the best brooms in the world, which was also one of Harry's most prized possessions. Ron thought, for a minute, that Harry was treating him like a charity case. But then Ron realized he was being stupid and that Harry was being very nice. So Ron took him up on his offer.  
"Thanks Harry, that'd be great!" Ron replied, smiling.  
As the three of them walked in the Quidditch Stadium, the surronding noise went up at least a decibel. Most of Gryffindor Tower, it seemed, had shown up to watch the tryouts. Ron seemed to tense up next to Harry. Harry was going to make a comment to relax Ron, but decided against it: sometimes you just can't control your nerves. And also, Harry played better when he was a bit nervous. Ron might just be the same way.  
Ron took a death breath and said "Well, I reckon I ought to go warm up."  
"Yeah, alright. Oh, and here Ron," Harry said, handing Ron the Firebolt, and adding with a wink "Take good care of her."  
"I will Harry, don't worry." Ron said, grinning as he gingerly picked up the broom. Hermione merely rolled her eyes.  
"Good luck, Ron! We'll be cheering for you!" Hermione said, giving Ron a quick hug and running over to join Ginny in the stands. Harry gave Ron a clap on the back and walked over towards the other players, his robes billowing out behind him.  
'Alright, this is it.' Ron thought. 'Just me. Harry can't help me, or Hermione, or any of my brothers. It's all me here.' The thought both scared the snot out of him and cheered him up.  
Ron walked over to the other half of the field, where the other hopefuls were stretching. Ron dropped his broom, and became to stretch out his arms, while surveying the competition. He recognized Colin Creevey, and a sixth year girl named Julia or Janet, something like that, but Ron couldn't quite remember it. Ron also recognized a friend of Ginny's, named Amy, but the other two competitors were a mystery to him.  
Madam Hooch walked up to them, crate of balls in hand. "Alright folks, five minutes up there to warm up, and then we get down to business. But first, each of you need to reach into this bag and choose your number. The number's will dictate the order you fly in." she said, indicating the velvet bag in her hand.  
One by one, they each walked up to the bag and pulled out a number. Some looked relieved at their number, will others looked more shaken than before. As Ron reached in, he thought to himself "Not first, not first." And he didn't get first. Quite the opposite. Sixth. Ron groaned. "Great, I've get to go last, while everyone's watching. But at least I didn't get first!" But Ron, realizing he was stuck with the position, quickly warmed up to the idea. He would have time to stretch, and he'd also get to see how good everyone else was. Plus, by the time they got to him, the Chasers would be pretty tired, and might go easy on him. After convincing himself he had gotten the best deal, Ron pushed off on the Firebolt.  
It felt amazing to fly with a Firebolt! The wind whipped at his face as the air rushed past his feet, dangling below the broom. The Firebolt seemed to respond to Ron's very thoughts. Up in the air, Ron's fears were squashed. This was where he belonged. Ron had been hooked on flying ever since he had snuck a ride on Bill's Nimbus 1500 way back when. It was second nature for him now.  
Ron must have gone into his own world, because only vaguely did he hear Madam Hooch's whistle. All six Gryffindor's came back down, and sat on the bench. Now that he was back on the ground, Ron's fears were returning, though less significantly now. It was then that Lee Jordan's voice came over megaphone. "Alright folks! Welcome to the Gryffindor Quidditch Tryouts!" a roar of applause "Professor McGonagall here has told me to skip all the chitchat and get to the game, and for once, I'll listen to her!" Lee got a look from McGonagall. "As I'm sure you all know, the Gryffindor team has the position of Keeper and the reserve positions available. And here comes contest number one, Amy Lesnik, a fourth year. Here we go!"  
Ron watched as Amy nervously pushed off the ground towards the goal post. Ron felt bad for her, having to go first. But, as Ron found out, no one had to worry about Amy. She pulled off quite a few spectacular moves. When her allotted ten minutes were, she returned to the ground, greeted by wonderful applause. After giving Amy a thumbs-up, Ron tuned into Lee's commentary again(Lee had been doing play-by-play, but Ron had been too focused on Amy to really listen.)  
"Now, for the scoring. In order to have a fair and unbiased score, the team has created an intricate and detailed scoring system. Not to worry folks, we up here in the commentator's box have done the math for you! Amy blocked nine out of fourteen shots, giving her an accuracy of 64%! The judges, the Quidditch team members, have ranked Amy's skill and effort as a 17 out of 20, or a percentage of 85%. Now, with a few calculations here, we find that Amy's average, and therefore final score is a 74.5%! Way to go Amy!"  
Amy smiled proudly as people congratulated her. Even Ron had to admit she'd done a great job.  
And so it continued. Everyone went and earned an average of their accuracy and effort. Amy seemed to do quite well. She was still in first as the fifth competitor, a third year named Paul, came down and Ron prepared to go up.  
"Lastly, but not leastly, we have Ronald er...Ron Weasley, a fifth year! He needs more than a 74.5% to secure the position of Keeper. And here I'd like to add that the first and second runners-up will be asked to fill the positions of Reserves. And he's up!"  
As Ron left the ground for the second time that day to the roar of the crowd, the feeling of sheer exuberance returned. He was so much more confident and calm up here.  
Ron positioned himself in front of the middle goal post, waiting for the inevitable attack by the Chasers.  
Katie, Angelina, and Alicia came barreling down the field. Katie had the Quaffle and seemed to be heading towards (Ron's) right goal post. Ron moved slightly to the left, in case they followed through, but he felt they wouldn't: four years of watching them play had taught him they weren't that predictable. Sure enough, Katie kept coming, so Ron moved more to his right. As she was within scoring range, she pulled off a marvelous Reverse pass, tossing it over her shoulder to Angelina, who was positioned near the left post. Ron quickly shot over there (he did have a Firebolt, after all) and prevenedt Angelina from scoring, but just barely. He couldn't cut it that close again.  
And that was how went. The girls tried to score on Ron using well planned and executed manuevers, but rarely prevailed. Ron had let only 3 out of 10 go through. He could see the clock winding down to 1 and a half minutes. He put himself on guard: the girls were sure to try something tricky in the final minutes.  
Was he ever right! The three girls were in a straight line, rising slowly, Quaffle with them. Ron knew they wanted to lure him away from the goal so they could get a good shot. Ron also rose a bit, but still stayed near the hoop.  
And then it happened! Angelina had the Quaffle, and was preparing to pass to Alicia. Ron knew he had to stop them: Alicia had great aim, and could make nearly any shot. Ron shot up to where the girls were, lunged at the Quaffle and...missed! He quickly turned to block Angelina, only to find she didn't have the Quaffle! A quick glance told him that Katie, twenty feet below and within scoring range, did. Ron thought all hope was gone...until he remembered he had a Firebolt! Mustering all the guts he had, Ron forced the broom nearly straight down. He saw Katie wind up, then release the Quaffle, and then WUMF! He had it, clutched safely against his chest. Katie was hovering, shocked, then began to clap. As the buzzer sounded and Ron returned to the ground, he realized the ground was on their feet.  
Ron could now hear Lee's voice clearly. "...Ron Weasley, blocking an astounding 8 out of 11 attempts. The team has ranked his effort a 19, giving him an average of 83.5%! Ladies and gents, meet your new Keeper!"  
Ron's ears were pounding from all the cheering, but it came nowhere near the pounding of his own heart. He'd did it! He'd made the team on his own accord. He hadn't needed Harry or Fred or George's or anyone's help! He'd won fairly; numbers didn't lie.  
The team was beaming down on him now, with high-fives and hugs. Ron saw the mischievious glint in Fred's eyes that could only mean one thing: party.  
"Congratulations, Ron!" Katie said with a smile. "I'm sure we all want to get back upstairs for a celebration, so I'll be quick. Here are you Quidditch robes. It looks like we'll have to get first initials and last names on the backs, what with three Weasley's on the team, but we'll deal with that later." Ron took the scarley robes from Katie's outstreched hands.  
"Well, put 'em on!" Harry said, excited. Ron slipped the robes on, fingers still shaking slightly. He was justing turnind around to tell Harry how perfectly they fit(the rest of the team had gone back to the locker rooms to change before heading upstairs) when Ron was practically knocked down by Hermione and Ginny, embracing him in a celebratory hug at the same time.  
"Hey, geroff!" Ron said, gently pushing them away.  
"Sorry, Ron! We're just a bit excited. I just knew you could do it, Ron!" Hemione said a bit quickly.  
"C'mon guys, let's head back to the castle. I'm sure Ron'll wanna rest after that." Harry said.  
Ron snorted. "Are you kidding!? I don't mean to sound conceited, but I'm sure there'll be a party or something. After all, we are dealing with Fred and George here!"  
Hermione smiled and Ginny said "Of course there will! There's always parties with those two!"  
Just then they were coming into the Entrance Hall. Professor McGonagall was waiting for them. She spoke in a business like manner, but with a smile on her face. "Congratulations, Weasley. It seems Quidditch talent runs in your family! Of couse, you'll still be expected to keep up your studies, and it's ever so important now, what with OWL's around the corner..." Harry and Ron rolled their eyes and groaned. McGonagall could go on for hours about academic responsibility, and the party was about to start(Harry had just seen Fred sneaking upstairs with what looked like a vat of ice cream.) Luckily, Hermione stepped in.  
"Umm, Professor? Ron, as well as Harry, are aware of the importance of the OWL's, I've made sure of that" the Professor smiled "but were we hoping to get back to the Common Room and uh...unwind after such a long day."  
"Of couse, Miss Granger. But I'm sure none of you will be able to relax upstairs with that party up there" Ron went to interject, but Professor McGonagall stopped him "Don't be silly Weasley, I wasn't born yesterday. I'm well aware that party foods have gone missing from the kitchen, and the house-elves have said they had red-headed visitors. A party is fine, as long as it stays under control, which I'm sure it will, given Miss Granger reputation" Hermione beamed "Now off you go. You wouldn't want all that ice cream to melt." And she walked away with a wink.  
The foursome, marvelling at what they'd just heard, had only walked a few more feet into the hall when Malfoy and his goons stepped out of the shadows.  
"So, Weasley," Malfoy sneered, "you made the team. I'd suggest you'd bought your way onto the team, but that's impossible-"  
And before Harry had the chance to restrain Ron, a flash of red hair went past him, and next thing he knew, a smack was echoing in the hall. Everyone turned and saw Ginny, who had grown a bit that summer, towering over Malfoy, her face as red as her hair.  
"Can it Malfoy! I am sick of you making cracks on me, my family, my friends! I've had it! You're a good for nothing twit who finds you in playing sick, twisted mind games, with nothing better to do than lurk in the shadows, waiting for someone to come along for you to insult. You just insult people to crush their spirit whiles still bolstering your own over-large, inflated ego. And I'm betting you didn't understand half of what I just said, but I'm not surprised! I could give you a lovely psychoanalysis now, delving into you underlying Oedipus complex and what not, but I don't feel like wasting intelligent conversation and big words on you and your peanut-brained friends!"  
And with that, Ginny marched off with her friends, sore throat and all, leaving a stunned and speechless Malfoy behind.  
Once they were safely around the corner, the four Gryffindors burst out laughing. Ginny had always been soften spoken, and this outburst seemed quite unlike her. After they all stopped crying with mirth and resumed walking, Harry commented on (what would become known as) "Ginny's Moment."  
"Ginny, I didn't know you had that in you!" Harry said admiringly.  
"Ah, the good ol' Weasley temper." Ron said nostalgically, making Ginny laugh.  
"OK, so your family explains the temper, but where did you learn psychology from, Gin?" Hermione asked curiously.  
Ginny giggled. "Well, Dad collects any and all Muggle books he can find in his "study," which is really a few shelves in his workshed. The year that Ron was at Hogwarts and I was the only kid home, I was really lonely. So I started going into the shed and choosing a "book of the week" every week. I read the fiction first, then the fourth grade history book, the eighth grade geometry book, then the Muggle King James Bible dad picked up only God-knows-where. I had stayed away from the Introduction to Psychology for as long as I could. I figured by the time I had to resort to that, everyone would be home. Alas, I read to quickly and wound up reading all about brain triggers and conditions. But I guess it did come in handy!"  
Hermione was thoughtful for a moment, and then summed up the day: "It's just be one surprise after the other today! First, we find out that Ron is an amazing Keeper, then that McGonagall is onto our party habits, and finally that Ginny is a loaded pistol who could be a psychologist!"  
They had just reached the Fat Lady, who asked for the password.  
The four friends looked at each with smiles in their eyes and gave the new password: "Epiphany!"  
  
*Author's Note* Phew! Was that ever long! Hopefully that made up for the time I forgot to post. Please review and give me feedback, and, if you get the chance, check out my other fics too. I recently read Oedipus(pronounced Edipus) Rex, and really liked it. Our teacher explained the Oedipus Complex is the desire to kill your dad, and marry your mom, or something of that nature. Correct me if I'm wrong about anything psychological in there(except for the spelling, cause I know I messed that up!) because I've never taken a class, and really don't know what I'm talking about!! :) 


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